The Language of Flowers and Poker Faces
by CrescentMoonTenshi
Summary: Well, Conan is about to finish off his relationship with Ran and he finds himself addicted to KID's heist. It looks like all hope is lost in finding an antidote on that side of things. He makes friends on planes, has his phobia discovered, and somehow steals the heart of the most famous phantom thief. ShinKai/ KaiShin. Just read the 1st chapter to understand or like. R
1. Chapter 1

**Here you go! A new KaiShin & ShinKai story! My first DC fic, so sorry if some people are a little OCC. Enjoy! And please remember to review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or MK.**

**ShinKai\KaiShin- main**

**Aoko/Hakuba - minor**

* * *

_**Chapter One** of, The Language of Flowers and Poker Face_

* * *

"Kudou-kun." I heard a familiar monotone voice call out to me. "Conan-kun!" the voice called louder, and a hand waved in my face.

I laughed nervously at her. "Gomen, Haibara. What did you say?" I asked, finally giving her my full attention.

"Oh, nothing." She said switching back to her monotone voice. I winced slightly. "Just the thing that you wanted for next week is ready." Haibara stated calmly and slowly.

It was almost as if she was trying to chose her words carefully. But why? I was going to get a temporary, new antidote and see Ran! "Really?" I almost jumped in excitement, but instantly lost it as I remembered what had to be done._ Oh. _I slowed down and allowed the Shounen Tantei-Dan to get a few more paces ahead.

"Kudou-kun." Haibara started. "You just visibly deflated like a balloon." She stated in a monotone voice, it was blunt.

"Don't worry." I stated confidently, but I sighed, knowing my act fooling no one. "I just don't want to watch her break down afterwards."

I looked to the sky full of hope. It was beautiful, being the stained red sky it was at the moment. Tokyo shined with lights and the Shounen Tantei-Dan were talking excitedly about Kamen Yaiba. I smiled enjoying the moment.

"Kudou- kun." The small scientist said, not bothering to put in a monotone. "I know it'll be hard," she looked at the sky and mimicked my expression. I looked at her, silently asking for her to continue. "but it's for the best. You and I, we both know that. Even the Hakase knows that." Haibara stated as I winced at the truth. "I know it seems cruel of us to ask you to do this, but I have no idea when I'll get the antidote." Suddenly, she looked at me with a slightly goofy smile. "It's better if you can throw her back into the game now before everyone is paired up and she's stuck with some loser." She stated a little more light-heartedly.

I nodded at her slight enthusiasm. "I know. She'll be just fine. Ran's strong like that. But I don't want to see the aftermath that I've caused. It's not like she's gonna let Conan out of her sight." I stated, dreading the few days that would come.

At this point we reached the crossroads where Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko were to separate from Haibara and I. "Ja ne!" They yelled happily as they crossed the road. They waved excitedly when they were over. "See you tomorrow!" The children yelled.

I waved back and watched them leave before turning back to Haibara who was deep in thought.

"Ne." she stated. "What if she says 'bye' to Conan before Shinichi comes to her?" The _little_ girl suggested.

"Ha?" I asked intelligently, throughly confused. I tried to come up with an explanation. Then realization swept over me. "Oh..." I mumbled. "I understand." I smiled wearily at the idea. "That's low and cowardly." I said seriously in a low tone.

"Going on vacation for two weeks is not cowardly." She countered, her voice slipping back into its usual monotone.

"Yeah it is." I mumbled. "If you're me and you go on vacation when you're small and come back the next day big. Then you break someone's heart and hide for a whole two weeks." I said, voicing her thoughts almost exactly.

"Kudou-kun. I refuse to watch you suffer the consequences like that when no one else has ever had to." The strawberry blonde stated quietly. "You wouldn't respond to anything but orders for a whole month. Just being a doll and remaining broken on the inside." She mumbled as we reached Hakase's house.

"Worried about the test subject?" I asked mockingly, eyeing her with amusement.

"Baka na. I'm just worried that I won't get any descriptions of how the temporary antidote worked if you're broken." Haibara cooly stated while opening the gates.

"Same thing." I quipped, grinning at her.

"Anyway," Haibara began after a moment. "I don't think I have to remind you, but I want you back thirty minutes before curtain time." She said her voice turning into a steel, cold monotone. "Got it? " She smiled threateningly.

"Un!" I replied childishly. "I'll be back in time. Stop sounding like my mom." I said smiling back innocently. Under my breath, I added, "Or like KID." I mumbled.

"Kudou-kun." She glared dangerously. Haibara let it drop with a smile. "Isn't there supposed to be a heist sometime this month? I didn't hear about a heist for this month yet." She said swapping topics.

"Hmm?" I asked snapping out of my train of thought. "Oh that?" I asked, thinking about if anything did happen. "Huh." I shrugged. "I guess he hasn't had a heist this month. Why the sudden interest in KID?" I eyed her curiously.

"_You_ compared me to him. _You_ bought him up." The scientist said almost accusingly. I looked at her, shocked and opened my mouth for a reply, but she cut me off. "And you often seem more cheerful and excited whenever he's going to have a heist. I would like to say that it's because you enjoy the riddles and never see blood, but I think it's something else." Haibara's eyes sparkled with excitement and mischief.

"What the hell Haibara?" I squawked, looking at her in disbelief. "You look like a kid who got a bag full of candy when it isn't even Halloween!"

She chuckled. "It's nothing." Haubara replied, but added, "I can tell there's something more, and you're dense so you'll never figure it out. Hopefully KID will. Or he won't and this'll be a sad story." Haibara mumbled and mused to herself.

"What are you saying? _BAROO_. You're acting like there's more to this. I'm the detective! Wouldn't I figure out before you?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"You won't be saying anything like that soon!" She said in a sing song voice, smirking at me.

I growled in annoyance. "Then what the hell is it?!" I almost hissed.

"You are annoyed but, I can't tell you. It'll ruin the surprise." Haibara announced and then went into Hakase's house.

"I'll figure out after the next heist." I huffed. "'Cause I get the feeling you're challenging me."

She waved her hand and mumbled something I didn't quite catch. "Whatever." She said afterwards. "Ja. And be on time to take the temporary antidote. If you're lucky it might fall on the heist date and you could meet him as Kudou Shinichi again. Ne?" She then closed the door and I walked away. Her gleaming eyes and devious smirk burning through my vision.

I walked briskly passed my house, glancing at it. Winter was fast approaching and the house seemed lonely on its own. My mind switched topics from the up and coming KID heist, to myself. "The last time I was in that house, I was hiding or using it for the 'one day to seven days' that I would get with a temporary antidote." I mumbled as I slowed down and backtracked to stand in front of my house. I sighed at the thoughts I was having. 'I wanted to go home ASAP, but current problems won't allow it and I can't find _them_.' I quickly walked away and rushed to turn a corner in attempts to forget my thoughts. Unfortunately, it lead to bumping into someone.

"Ah!" They exclaimed in surprise. "I'm sorry..." The sentence dropped. "Well if it isn't Conan-kun!" The man's voice laughed.

For the first time I looked up and almost laughed at the irony. "Takagi-keiji!" I chirped cheerfully. "_And there's no murder or thief around!" _I laughed at my joke slightly. "_Or bombs_." I added. I mumbled all of this but Takagi still heard.

"I know right?" He laughed slightly and helped me up from the ground. "Usually, when I run into you, there's some type of case. But since the rest of the Shounen Tantei-Dan aren't here, I guess we wont have to worry." He grinned. "Are you going home from school? If you ask me, this path is pretty far from the one I would take." He mused aloud.

"Oh that?" I scrambled for a good excuse. "Well, I dropped off Haibara from school and since I was already there, I returned one of Shinichi-niichan's books and got a new one in his library." This guy was paying very good attention to me lately. Especially after that bombing incident in the elevator. I laughed slightly. It was pretty stupid of me to say something when there was a good chance we could survive.

"Oh..." he nodded in understanding. A thoughtful silence blanketed us as we walked together. He decided to go back to where he came from instead of heading in the direction he was going in.

"Ne, if it isn't a case, then where's Satou-keiji?" I asked blinking thrice to add to the child facade and shattering the comfortable silence. I laughed at his expression of embarrassment.

"Satou-san is in the diner over there." The tanned skinned officer pointed at a diner a few blocks away and grew a bit red faced, but his expression turned firm. "Now Conan-kun, you should know not to say things like that to others." He thought for a moment and his expression held the same firmness but added a bit of seriousness and challenge. "Did something happen that's making your mood snappish?" He asked seriously.

I looked at him for a moment and marveled. 'This guy...' I thought. Instantly, I slammed the child face on full drive and giggled. "What are you talking about?" I asked cheerfully. "I only asked because its the truth." I stated carefully. "And because I haven't seen you in a while so I wanted to know if you got any further with Satou-keiji, cause Ran-" I froze at the name for a moment. 'Pull yourself together!' I mentally scolded myself. "Neechan, wanted to know. She said she really thinks you and Satou-keiji will be together one day." I smiled pleasantly.

Takagi blushed, but it barely showed over his dark skin. "Well ah..." he struggled with his words.

I was glad to have found a distraction for him. "By the way you reacted, does that mean you aren't together yet?" I asked innocently.

Takagi's face grew confused, but a small smirk appeared on his face. Never thought I would see that on him. "How did you know?" he asked seriously.

'Crap! That's not something a child would know!' I thought. 'He's getting sharper around me.' I almost shifted to calculating how much he would've found, but restrained myself and answered instead. "It's the same way Ran-neechan reacts when Sonoko-neechan asks about Shinichi-niichan."

He seemed satisfied and we walked and chatted for a while. Most of the time I was watching him intently, trying to decide what he could've noticed. I soon sent him back to his dinner when I noticed that his poker face was being well practiced lately.

"Heh." I scoffed. "Nice poker face today, Takagi-keiji." I congratulated him as he walked through the door. I hoped he didn't hear, as I had spoken louder than intended. My heart hammered in my chest and my mind whirred.

He turned around and smiled at me. "That means alot coming from a master." His face shifted into a slight smirk once more. "But it's always good to get help if you need it. And forget about the poker face for once when trying to reach it." He advised.

Again I marveled at him. For a moment I didn't respond but easily covered it up. "Takagi-keiji." I started and he looked hopeful for a moment. "Help sometimes isn't the best for every problem at every moment." I said forlorningly. "Sometimes, you need your poker face and have to get help from those who already know, not others." I said trying not to give any information on my situation away. That was an important lesson KID taught me that I would always keep in mind.

He smiled gently and crouched to my height, hesitating to pat my head. "I understand." The officer nearly whispered. "Sometimes, police help isn't needed until the final moment."

I gazed at him quietly and barely nodded enough for him to see. I trained my gaze to the ground for a moment and his hand continued patting my head. I turned my gaze to him and whispered so quietly, only he could hear it. "Can I count on your help when that time comes?" I smiled sadly at him and left as he got up and nodded determinedly.

**Takagi's POV**

Conan-kun trained his gaze on the ground before looking up at me. I lost myself in the seriousness of his piercing gaze, one that no eight or nine year old should ever know.

"Can I count on you when that time comes?" he asked and smiled sadly, thinking that I couldn't hear him.

I stood quickly and smiled at him. He walked away as I whispered. "Of course." And entered the diner.

When I got inside, I was greeted by Satou-san and Shiratori-san waving me over. I briefly wondered when Shiratori-san got here but pushed it out of my mind and smiled. I joined them at the table they were at and Satou-san spoke.

"I saw Conan-kun with you. What were you doing?" She inquired.

I slammed a good poker face on and and scrambled for an excuse. "Well, " I started and went along with Conan-kun's excuse. "When I patrolled the area, I saw him coming out of the Kudou residence. Curious, I asked him what he was doing and he said.." I shifted my voice to Conan-kun's extra sugary one. "'Shinichi-niichan said I could borrow Holmes books from his _gigantic _library whenever I wanted, so I just returned one and got a new one after dropping Haibara off at home from school.'" I explained quickly.

They looked amused at this and Shiratori-san spoke up calmly. "That was extremely sad, Takagi-kun. Conan-kun's 'sweet voice' should've been mastered by now." The curly-haired man laughed.

Satou looked at us with disbelief. "You guys noticed it too?" The female officer asked, shocked. "That he acts extra sweet with adults and then turns to the Shounen Tantei- Dan with a whole serious voice. His voice literally drops an octave." She commented. "He really is the distant relative of Fujimine Yukiko-san."

"Ah, you heard that excuse once before too?" I asked. She nodded at me slightly wide eyed. "When I met her with Conan-kun, she said..." I cleared my throat and eyed their reactions of laughter before continuing in her excited voice. "'Ohh, this little guy? He's my grandpa's sister's uncle's cousin's brother's niece's grandson!'" I finished, grinning at my co-workers.

They burst out laughing and Shiratori-san commented again. "I heard that one too! You sounded just like her! She was acting so happy and excited, for a second, I thought she panicked."

I nodded and Satou-san looked at us and then said, "You have a gift Takagi." She stated. "Especially with drawing out expressions like that from an eight year old." The female frowned seriously. "What did you say? " she inquired.

I scrambled for an excuse and mentally swore. Which was something I almost never do. 'Shit shit shit!' I said while drawing a blank. Then an idea popped into my head. "Well," I said with a dramatic sigh. "I was being an insensitive jerk and mentioned his parents." I paused to take in their faces which grew sad too. "I said how they never came to get him over here and he replied.." I slipped into Conan-kun's serious voice and mumbled. " Takagi-keiji, I know I mentioned Satou-keiji for a moment, but that was cruel revenge. I'll congratulate you though for striking a nerve.'" I fake-quoted.

"Me?" Satou-san grew confused and almost pouted. "What were you talking about me for?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I laughed nervously and said as an excuse and punishment to myself, "What are we talking about Conan-kun for?" I laughed.

Shiratori nodded approvingly at my escape. I smiled smugly and didn't allow Satou-san to catch the movements.

"I guess you're right." She sighed. Suddenly, her face light up. "If we ever have free time like this during work again, I say we go all out on an investigation on Conan-kun!"

Shiratori nodded in agreement. "Though I doubt we'll find anything. Since he's always around crime, he should know how to cover his tracks pretty good right? It'll be good practice for us." He said, almost laughing.

'_Uh Oh_.' I mentally slapped myself. "As much as I would like to agree, I think we should let him come to us and play along a little more. Besides, he could be keeping this secret, whatever it is, for a good reason right? If he has to lie to all of us adults like this." I said solemnly.

They took it into consideration for a moment and sighed in unison. "I guess so. I mean, he could be Sherlock Holmes in disguise and we would never even know." Satou-san shrugged.

"Baka na!" Shiratori laughed the idea away. "Even Sherlock Holmes couldn't change his height like that! It's physically impossible. Unless..." He let the sentence drop and left us with a cliff hanger.

"What?! " Satou-san almost shouted in excitement. "What is it? " she wailed, and Shiratori smirked.

"Unless our Sherlock Holmes got himself into something deep and took something that shrunk him. Like a pill or poisoned food." Shiratori continued listing the possibilities as I went to think in my own world. My sub-conscious answered all questions for me on auto-pilot.

"Is it possible? That our mini-Holmes could have a situation that bad? With how often he runs into death and how sad his expression was, I wouldn't be too surprised." I thought as we all headed out of the diner. "No. That can't be it. I don't want to make a theory before getting facts. I might end up twisting the facts to suit my theory, a rookie mistake." I mused. "I guess the best thing to do is keep a list of possibilities. And this one is definitely going and staying at the bottom of that list. It's too far-fetched and something that shouldn't happen to just one person." I frowned in thought. "There would be several reports of something like this if it was _that_ bad. Like teachers deciding to kill students all of a sudden and heartless murderers running people over with trucks or something like that."

Suddenly there was loud laughter on both sides of me. "Really Takagi-kun? That's your best example?"

"Ha?" I blanched as I realized what they were saying. "Don't tell me I said that out loud? All of that?" I grew wide eyed and blanched even further, if that was even possible, at their answers.

"Yes, Takagi-san. " Shiratori answered. "And it seems like you're hiding something about Conan-kun and aren't telling us about it." He paused in thought and turned to look at me. "I think you have more information than we do!" he accused. "Especially if you got really suspicious and asked him something when you two were alone. Like in that elevator!" He said aloud. "He might've said something when you were on the brink of death!"

I looked at him and laughed. "You must be drunk!" I laughed even harder. "How far-fetched can this get? I mean, Conan-kun is just a little boy who's a detective prodigy child!" I explained. "What could've really happened besides that? Other than the fact that there's a possibility that he was shrunk after getting into some trouble. But don't you think the police would know by now that there's something out there that can do that?" I asked, shedding some darkness into this. 'Gotta put everyone in the dark for once and not shed the truth on this case.' I commanded myself.

Satou-san changed the topic and we chatted about more serious cases after forgetting about our little secretive detective.

'I'll find out everything soon. I promise I will help him this time.' I though with determination, this time, careful not to let it slip my lips.

* * *

When we arrived at the MPD again, Megure-keibu gave us a long lecture on staying out so long for a ' quick dinner' as we claimed we would have. At first I was paying attention until a fax came out of the fax machine without making any noise behind him. 'That's odd, someone must've turned off the sound.' I thought, forgetting that Megure-keibu was talking to us as I walked over to the machine. I picked the paper up and laughed.

"Well it's about time! But why to Division One?" I said looking at the paper. I read through it as everyone came up behind me. Everyone being Satou-san, Shiratori, and Megure-keibu.

"Oh, that's why." I stated as I read the bottom part.

"What is it Takagi?" Megure-keibu asked.

I handed him the paper. "It looks like Kaitou KID sent us a fax." I laughed.

_"Kaitou KID?!" _Satou-san asked in disbelief. "Why send it to Division One? " she asked confused. "Thieves are in Division Two." The female officer stated in a 'as a matter of fact' tone.

Megure-keibu chuckled as he read the note. "It looks like it's because of a certain detective. But who is the 'Tantei-kun of Division One?' And why give him this heist note?" he mused aloud.

"It's obviously Conan-kun!" Satou-san laughed as she passed the paper to Shiratori to read after skimming it herself. "He is the mascot of the police force. I'm certain it's him because he has taken a liking to KID's heists lately and I remember when Nakamori told me that Conan-kun was being addressed as 'Tantei-kun' by KID. Along with that British boy, Hakuba Sugaru, being Tantei-san and Hattori Heiji, when he was here for a heist, being Tantei-han." Satou-san explained.

Shiratori whistled as the rest of us looked at her wide eyed. "That's a lot of information for someone in Division One."

Satou-san took in our expressions before answering. "I know I said Nakamori, but I didn't mean the Keibu!" she laughed as we grew even more confused. "I used to be good friends with the Oku-san before she passed away, so I knew their daughter when she was a child. Even now, I still meet with her once in a while. Nakamori-chan that is." She finished as we all made _'ohh' _faces.

"Those are some good connections you have there." Megure-keibu threw in as a comment. "I guess we should fax this over to the Mouri Detective Agency now. It's not for us so we can throw this copy away afterwards." He shrugged as I took it from Shiratori and set up the fax.

I put a title page in front saying, 'To Conan-kun, Division One's little mascot, ONLY.' I thought that if Conan-kun wanted, it would be better if he didn't show Ran-san right away or Mouri-Tantei. I signed my name at the bottom of the page along with 'from Division One.' So it said, ' from Takagi-keiji and the rest of Division One.'

_Maybe _it would throw him on edge a little. _Maybe _he'd slip a little. I just wouldn't be able to hear it unless Mouri-Tantei or Ran-san hear him and I get it from them. I like providing myself with clues sometimes. Especially if the case suspect could be a tough nut to crack. It feels even more rewarding that way. I smiled sadly, ashamed of my antics but sent the fax anyway. Hopefully, Conan-kun would be awake still and not in bed because of a curfew.

* * *

**Mouri Detective Agency**

**November 21, 9: 49 pm**

**With Ran and Mouri-Tantei**

* * *

**Ran's POV**

* * *

"Conan-kun!" I called up the stairs to my little 'brother.' "It's time for bed! Didn't you want to go to Hakase's with the Shounen Tantei-Dan to play games tomorrow? You should sleep!" I was yelling at first but quieted as I climbed the stairs and reached my house, opening the door quickly.

"Ok Ran-neechan!" Conan-kun's hollow cheerful voice replied. He looked up at me with the saddest face. The small child looked as though he hadn't eaten in weeks and his cheek bones were visible. His glasses made him look even worse.

"Oh my goodness... Conan-kun!" I looked at him almost inspecting him for injuries but I restrained myself to a hug. "What's wrong? Why do you look so sad? You look like you haven't eaten in weeks! Even though I know you just ate the biggest amount of curry rice I've ever seen anyone eat." I joked, hoping to lighten up the mood.

Conan-kun smiled. "Gomen!" He chirped. "I tripped and fell, so now I look really disheveled I guess." He shrugged.

I was skeptical but didn't care. "Whatever you say, sweetheart." I smiled. "Go get ready for bed." I commanded gently.

He smiled and nodded happily before I turned and went to close down the detective agency and bring my dad to bed too. When I came in, dad was waiting for a fax to finish.

"Hey dad!" I greeted before peeking over his shoulder. "Who's the fax from?"

"It looks like its from 'Takagi-keiji and the rest of Division One.'" he made air quotes. "What really surprises me is the fact that it's for that brat only." he answered.

"For Conan-kun only?" I questioned and he nodded. "Why don't we close up here and give it to him upstairs before he falls asleep." I almost asked.

He nodded again. "Then we can demand why the hell he got a fax from the police and for his eyes only." he smirked.

"Mou, otou-san!" I pouted as I stepped out of the door, fax in hand.

He followed and shut off the lights, before I locked the door. "I know that you are curious too!" he accused.

"Of course I am!" I retorted. "I just don't think we should read it or demand that he tells us what's in it. Conan -kun should have some privacy too, like it's his mail. Do you see Conan-kun opening your mail and snooping around?" I asked as we ascended the stairs to the apartment and opened the door.

"Oi, Conan!" he called. "You've got mail!" he snickered.

Conan-kun sleepily exited his and dad's room and asked, "Mail? In the night? Oji-san, that isn't funny."

Dad stuck his tongue out at him and said. "It's actually a fax, but maybe we shouldn't give to a brat li-" he let the sentence drop as I handed the fax to the sleepy boy.

He glanced at the front page and almost blanched. " Oh no! What did I do to get them on my trail?" he mumbled, clearly annoyed. I dismissed it and watched as he flipped through it, his eyes reading the pages so quickly, I marveled. Then his eyes grew wide with excitement. "What!? Finally! I was waiting for it!"

"Waiting for what?" Dad demanded as Conan-kun ran over into the room my dad and him shared and pulled out his Shounen Tantei-Dan notebook. He then proceeded to copy something into it from the fax.

"Conan-kun, could you tell us what was in the fax?" I asked gently. searching his excited face.

He nodded happily. "KID-niichan sent me a heist note!" He exclaimed, obviously unable to contain his excitement.

"Kaitou KID?" Dad exclaimed. "Lying isn't healthy." he scolded.

Conan-kun's face etched into a full on scowl, briefly showing his disgust. "I already know that!" he snarled, surprising us. "If you don't believe me, read it yourselves." He said shoving the papers into our hands after taking the cover page. "I already copied it all down, so you can have it. I'm going to bed." he said yawning childishly. He set up a childish act to throw us off track from scowling. A full blown cover up was what it really was. "Next week's a big week, so I need lots of rest."

"What's next week?" Dad asked.

"KID-niichan's heist." The young boy answered automatically before heading into the room and closing the door, leaving us dumbfounded.

"Otou-san... " I mumbled. "It doesn't even say it's next week, only in part of the riddle." I looked up at my father, surprise evident in my features.

"What? How could he have figured it out so quickly?" He demanded, snatching the paper from my hands and reading it.

"Conan-kun is always the first person to solve the riddles from KID. Almost like the riddles are made for him. Specifically." I said before laughing. "But that's because Conan-kun loves riddles more than anything, so these are great for him. I just don't like how they are so late for a child like him." I glanced at the door Conan-kun was sleeping behind, worry creasing my brow.

Dad nodded, agreeing. "If he's so good, why haven't I noticed, since I live with him, but KID, who almost never sees him, did?"

I shrugged, "Maybe being a thief makes you notice all of the tiny details about everyone." I looked at the door Conan-kun was behind, sleeping soundlessly. "It looks like we should pay more attention to this little guy." I mumbled quietly to my father.

Dad shrugged, "Guess so." He yawned loudly. "We should hit the hay too. Right?" he asked as I nodded in agreement before heading for my room.

I stopped before entering. "Night, Dad." I smiled at him. He mumbled a reply as I went to bed, thinking about Conan-kun.

'I guess there's a little more to him then we all thought.' Was my last thought before passing out into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

**Some roof across from the Agency**

**A certain thief at 9: 56**

* * *

I couldn't help but snicker at Tantei-kun's excitement. I was listening in with something I planted on Mouri-chan. Of course, I planted that today as an innocent passer by who bumped into her. All's well that ends well!

Suddenly Tantei-kun snapped at the Mouri family, and I let out a whistle. Note to self: lying is a touchy subject to Tantei-kun, do not mention carelessly like Mouri-Tantei.

Then I listened to Tantei-kun explain the date of my heist. Tantei-kun then left to bed and I heard Mouri-chan say something about the riddles being specifically for him.

I smiled briefly at that. Honestly, I _enjoyed it _when Tantei-kun was the first person to decipher my riddles. So each time, I can't help but make them addressing something only he would know. Well, maybe Hakuba would know, but that's not important. Latin for example, was something they both knew but I'm not addressing Tantei-san. I don't understand myself sometimes. I must really be insane like everyone says.

I then heard Mouri-chan mumble about that Kudou guy in her sleep. Maybe I should bug the house. This is a very interesting drama. I mean, Mouri-chan was in love with a detective who went missing, Tantei-kun is a big mystery on his own, and even though Mouri-Tantei is a drunkard, he can be really thoughtful. I mean look at his relationship with Kisaki/Mouri-san. This is pretty good.

New note to self: After heist, bug entire house and bring popcorn and a lounging chair for entertaining self.

Yeah, I'll do that, but I hope Tantei-kun won't take too offense to it. Well, time to hit the hay myself. Actually, why don't I pay Tantei-kun a visit? Since I can hear him at the kitchen table. Yeah! Lets visit our Tantei-kun!

* * *

**Mouri Detective Agency**

**November 22, 1:24.**

**Conan's POV at the kitchen table**

* * *

I sighed and rubbed my temples. After stretching, I warmed a cup of coffee and returned to the table to find a certain thief.

I jumped and gasped. "GOD KID!" I hissed. "That's not funny!" I scowled as he burst into snickers.

"Tantei-kun, it's funny when you're barely awake and not alert." he looked at me through his un-monocled eye in a side glance. "The Tantei-kun I know wouldn't jump like that." he laughed quietly to himself as I seated myself at the table and sipped my coffee. "You're not going to try to catch me?" he asked, obviously shocked.

"I don't have any gear and waking up Ran or Kogoro would be stupid since they would never wake up in time." I explained.

KID swiped my drink and dipped an un-gloved finger into it before trying it. "Ew!" he wailed quietly. "Black coffee?! For an eight year old? Tantei-kun, that's not healthy." he wagged a finger at me and I swiped the drink back.

I stuck my tongue at him and retorted. "BAROO! Don't take other's coffee without writing a heist note first. Serves you right!" I grumbled drinking my coffee again.

He laughed, eyes clearly showing amusement. "Ok. I see you want a challenge. Why? Is my heist not enough for you?" he asked teasingly.

I frowned. "Not this time." I replied.

He grew confused. "Why?" he whined. Just like a kid who couldn't go to the pool on a hot summer day.

"I'm going on vacation next week with Shinichi-niichan's parents." I explained carefully.

"Ho~" he replied. "Where to?" he asked. From his un-monocled eye, his eyebrow could be seen furrowing with suspicion.

"We're going to tour Europe." I said confidently. "Rome one day, Greece the next." I said, waving the topic off.

"But who's gonna be the Tantei-kun of Division One?" The thief whined, crossing his arms over his chest. I grinned brightly and KID looked at me questioningly. "You have a replacement?" he asked in disbelief.

I nodded happily. "How does the Meitantei-san of Division One sound?" I smirked at his reaction of utter disbelief. It was obvious it was part of his poker face.

"That Kudou Shinichi who is MIA?!" The Moonlight Magician gasped.

"MIA?" I snickered at his childish analogy. "He's just in hiding!" I laughed.

He looked at me. "You know where he is?"

I nodded and then shook my head. "I know where he is and at the same time I don't."

"Huh?" he let the poker face drop. "That is a riddle better than any of mine because it defies all logic." he stated, praising me.

I grinned. "If you're me than it doesn't!" I laughed in a sing song voice.

"Do... Do you...?" I looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Go you have MPD?"

"What!?" I jumped up, feeling my eyes widen in shock. "As in Multiple Personality Disorder?!" I stared at him.

"It's perfectly acceptable Tantei-kun." he said calmly.

"Well that's one way to explain how I know and yet don't know." I sighed sitting down.

"Yes, it does!" he giggled. "I think you do have MPD."

"Yeah, I do." I said sarcastically. He paused to look at me. "My alter ego's name is the Metropolitan Police Department." I snickered.

He roared with laughter until I kicked him in the shin to quiet him. "Damn it KID!" I hissed. "It's 3 am and Ran is sleeping without your laughing!"

"'Ran?'" he asked. "And 'Kogoro?'" he smirked. "You gave me a hint Tantei-kun!" he giggled with excitement.

"I guess I did slip up." I sighed. "It's a good thing that you aren't Takagi-keiji."

"Oh." he wiggled his eyebrows. Or at least his visible one. "You've got the police on your trail? You sound like a criminal."

I laughed slightly. "I guess I do." I smiled. "But no. I'm actually trying to keep him from conducting an investigation on me. Thanks to a certain incident, I'm a suspect to something for him." I explained.

Briefly, I wondered why I was explaining this to an internationally wanted thief. "Mind sharing your story?" he asked. "I've got time. I'm prepared for my heist, and have got nothing to do. So shoot." he said.

I smiled. "Why not? It'll give you another hint. Though I doubt you'll ever figure it out anyway." I said before taking a deep breath.

"Just try me. I'll believe anything." The thief said seriously. I eyed him, briefly wondering why he was so serious before dropping it.

"Well, do you remember that bomber from 8 and 4 years ago who hit last year?" I started.

"The one where an officer and a little boy were stuck in the eleva...tor...?" he let the sentence drop as he stared at me. "Tantei-kun and Takagi-keiji were in there?!" He gasped.

I nodded. "After saving a little girl who was stuck in there previously, a bomb on the wires holding the elevator blew while I was still on. Takagi-keiji acted on the spur of the moment and jumped in before the elevator could drop too far. So we were trapped, with a bomb on the roof of the elevator, and the bomb already waiting for the slightest vibration for the mercury lever." I laughed slightly at KID's intent gaze.

"And then what happened to you guys? I mean you're alive but I mean like, what happened to you? You're Tantei-kun, I wouldn't believe it if you said nothing really happened." he mused.

"Right." I said sarcastically. "Anyway, I climbed to the roof and told Takagi-keiji not to come up unless he wanted to blow the whole of Touto Tower away and everywhere else around us in a 3km radius. He responded that we should get help. So we got bombing tools and I disarmed it."

"Why didn't the rescue team get you by dropping a rope or something?" he asked, confused.

"The bomber just happened to think everything through. That spoiled brat." I spat venomly. "He placed a listening device on the side of the bomb, so if we were rescued like that, and he didn't hear our voices anymore..."

"He would've blown the place up." KID nodded in understanding. "So what did you do?" he asked.

"Are you getting excited?" I accused him. "That's sick!" I scowled at him, clearly displaying my disgust.

"My favorite critic got stuck in an explosive elevator and survived to tell me the story. How can I not be excited about what happened?" He smiled, obviously giddy.

"Whatever. I guess I get your point." I sighed.

"But before you continue, do you have any hot cocoa? I have a feeling this might take a while." KID shrugged. Then he grinned widely. "Nothing like story time and hot chocolate!" he exclaimed.

I got up laughing and set up the milk in the pot to boil. "And then, we got the rescue team to send down some tools and a walkie-talkie. I was way ahead of the instructions and was already far into disarming it without them." I shrugged.

"Remind me to call you if I ever find as bomb." he muttered.

I laughed slightly. "And then I triggered his damn trap." I mumbled loud enough for him to hear. "The same one he used for all those years."

"Which was?" KID prompted, making a hand motion.

"A hint about where the next bomb would be three seconds before this one went off." I said staring at him and waiting for his reaction.

"Of all of hell's traps!" he ranted. "Damn it, Tantei-kun! What the hell did you do to get the devil so angry that he laid death on your bow tie?" he asked, pointing a finger at me.

"The devil? Angry with me enough to place a curse on my bow tie?" I laughed. "You believe that?!"

"Let's just say I know a witch who happens to know a Lucifer." He mumbled as I stirred cocoa mix in his milk.

"That explains it somewhat." I snickered. "But just so you know, my bow tie isn't cursed. 'Cause I got this after the damn story started." I huffed.

"Second hint!" he sang, grinning at me cockily.

I placed the cocoa in front of him. "Whatever KID!~" I sang myself. "You'll never figure it out!~"

He pouted? No way! "Just continue the story!" he huffed as he blew on his cocoa. Actually... that pout seemed to suit the thief quite well.

"So I told Takagi-keiji, who told Satou-keiji, who was already experienced with that before so she went nuts and drove herself to tears." I explained. "Apparently, a man named Matsuda, suffered from the same type of bomb 3 years before and died himself. Satou-keiji was showing him the ropes and witnessed the explosion. If anyone's cursed, it her." I mused.

He nodded. "I have the details on that case."

I nodded in reply. "Right. So now, we were waiting for the time to go on, cause we still had like five minutes. And I held my legs over the opening of the of the roof and Takagi-keiji, who really wanted me to somehow get off the elevator, accepted his death. He prepared a whole message on everything he wanted to say and was just waiting for the hint to send it to Satou-keiji." I peered at his face which was smoothed over in a perfect and blank poker face. "So he asked me a special question."

"What was the question?" he whispered, watching my face.

I cleared my throat to mimic him. "'Conan-kun, can I ask you something?' I nodded in reply. 'Who are you really?'" I waited for a reaction with my eyes closed and then watched KID's shocked face.

"I suppose you won't answer the question and stop the story here?" he asked.

"No." I said calmly. "Didn't I say he was gonna conduct an investigation if I didn't get him off my trail?" KID nodded. "Well I said..." I tilted my head down and sat on the edge of the table, my legs swinging over. "'I'll tell you when we meet in the after life.'"

KID gasped. "Well no freaking wonder!" he exclaimed. I looked at him in surprise. "Even I would conduct an investigation if you said that to me!"

I laughed, "You are." I stated.

"Oh yeah." he sighed drinking more of his cocoa. By this time, my coffee got cold so I pushed it away. "And then?"

"_I was so afraid." _I whispered seriously, hugging my upper arms as I relived the same fear over again.

KID paused in the middle of drinking his cocoa and choked. "E-eh?"

"I had a mental list of where he would strike considering map symbols with crosses and a baseball field." I elaborated.

"Tantei-kun."

I looked at him feeling my face droop in sadness. "I was afraid he would target the school."

"School?"

"Ran's school. They were having mock exams that day and so many people were there on a day that was considered winter break." I explained. "And when the clue came, it said," I paused the words stuck in my throat. "EVIT"

"So what does it mean?" he asked, pulling me into his lap. For the first time, I didn't struggle away from his grasp and allowed him to stroke my hair.

"Spell detective backwards." I whispered.

He gasped and spelled it out slowly. "E-V-I-T-C-E-T-E-D."

"If you take Tantei and put it backwards, it's..."

"Teitan." he stated. "So you cut all of the wires in three seconds after seeing the hint?!" He said in surprise.

"Don't be ridiculous!" I exclaimed, struggling to leave his lap. He held me down and I couldn't put up too much of a fight. "I cut the wires the moment I saw 'EVIT.'" I said.

"You figured it out just by those four letters?" He said in surprise, loosening his grasp.

I took the chance to jump out of his lap and scowl. "I'm not a little kid." I stated.

"Right!" he said sarcastically.

"But like I said, I held in my heart and prayed that it wouldn't be Ran's school." I explained. "So everything clicked and I jumped down. Takagi-keiji freaked out saying the bomb would blow and it didn't. I said.." I shifted into my sweet child voice. "'It's scary to die after all Takagi-keiji. So I just cut the wires after seeing the EVIT.'" I smiled brightly up at KID who shrank back into his chair and shivered.

"That's sick!" he claimed. "I'm never falling for that again!" I snickered and continued. "So then we were rescued, but before that, I explained my reasoning to Takagi-keiji who, at the time, didn't care that I was a kid." I laughed. "And now, Takagi-keiji and I are in a head to head battle of wits. But it's nothing compared to our battle of wits on the roof tops."

"Of course not! Or I'm not an internationally wanted thief!" he stood up and pounded a fist on his chest. He then peered down at me, while I was snickering at his childishness.

"So KID, got the hint?" I asked sitting down in a chair again.

"The hint that says you aren't who you say you are?" I nodded. "I got that one the moment a seven year old could beat me in a battle of wits. I have an IQ of at least 400 you know."

"Another thing we have in common." I nodded happily.

"Eh? Then that explains a lot. I would however, would like to thank you very much." he said.

I looked at him in surprise. "For what?"

His expression lightened and his smirk grew into a soft smile. "For trusting me, Tantei-kun. Enough so that you would tell me all of those details. It means a lot to me, that one of my Tanteis are putting so much trust in me to keep their secrets."

I snickered. "As if! This is just the reward for taking care of Shinichi-niichan as I know you will. Ne?" I smiled threateningly at him.

"Of course. I'll make him feel very welcome as the replacement of my favorite critic." his face shifted into a sly smirk.

"Ehhhh?! No! Don't try anything KID! I went through all of the trouble to ask him to come to the heist! Even though he has to ask later that they don't put his name in the newspaper. He might not even meet you at the rooftop, just do what he did for the clock tower heist!" I scrambled to get him off my ass when the traps came. If KID really wanted to, he would barbecue Shinichi alive with traps full of goo, feathers, and glitter.

"I promise I won't try anything. I'll give him the same treatment." KID snickered.

Immediately, I caught his loophole. "Same treatment as who?" I asked, narrowing my eyes with suspicion.

"As everyone else." he stated.

I groaned and KID snickered. "I can't beg you?" I said after a moment, and he started.

"Why are you trying so hard for Meitantei-san, Tantei-kun?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I tried so hard to get him to come and provide a challenge for you." I lied smoothly. "Can't leave you hanging when you went through all the trouble to invite me in riddles. Ne?" I distracted him from catching my lie, even though I knew he would figure that out at least later.

"I will treat him like I did the last time we met. Good enough?" he asked, peering through his monocle at me.

I thought for a moment and remembered how there wasn't much interaction besides cool rivalry. "Uh... Sure?" I said, uncomfortable. "I mean, I don't know what happened last heist so..." I let the sentence drop and he nodded.

We sat in silence for a moment before the worst thing happened.

"Conan-kun?" a sleepy voice called out.

I froze nervous. "Eh!?" My eyes widened and KID stood up suddenly.

He cleared his throat and spoke in my voice. "Ran-neechan? It's nothing, I'm just getting a glass of water. " he called quietly while sounding sleepy.

"Can you reach the cabinet?" she asked approaching.

I ran to the kitchen and KID 'poof'-ed away leaving a deep pink rose and a full blown rose placed over two buds behind.

"Yes, Ran-neechan. I got it. Don't worry, you can go back to bed. Unless you want me to get one for you too?" I called softly.

She walked in and found me standing by the counter with an empty glass in my hand. "That would be nice Conan-kun. Can you bring it to my room?" she was puffy eyed and her eyes were bloodshot.

I looked at her in shock for a moment and then smiled softly. "Of course, Ran-neechan."

She smiled weakly and went back to her room. I then filled her glass and searched the medicine cabinet.

"Sleeping pills, sleeping pills. Where are they?" I growled. My hand brushed against them in the back of the cabinet. "Ah! Found them!" I exclaimed quietly.

I checked the box for an expiration date and found them to be okay, so I slipped the maximum amount into Ran's water, which was two. I smiled sadly, ashamed at my antics. "Gomen ne, Ran." I mumbled. "But staying up all night and crying over me isn't good for your health."

I watched the pills dissolve and then took the spiked drink to her room. She was sitting on her bed, her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees.

"Here you go, Ran-neechan." I chirped quietly.

"Arigato! Conan-kun." she took a sip of the drink and looked me straight in the eye.

"W-what? What is it Ran-neechan? Is there something on my face?" I asked shifting nervously under her gaze.

She sighed. "Conan-kun, having guests in the middle of the night is not good for either of your healths." she stated.

"E-eh? " I shifted nervously even more. "What makes you think that?" I asked. I thought carefully. "Was it the flowers and the extra cup on the table?" I asked sighing.

"Yes." she smiled. "Soooo?" she giggled. "Do you have a secret lover or something that comes over?"

"What?!" My face instantly went bright red, buring my cheeks.

"Come on Conan-kun!" she giggled harder. "Don't you know the language of flowers?"

"N-no. Not yet at least. I'm starting to think I should learn it now." I mumbled the last part with a sigh and Ran returned to level one giggling.

"Those flowers mean gratitude or appreciation, the pink one. And the other red roses, they mean secrecy." she explained as I listened intently.

"Conan-kun." she stopped giggling to breathe. "Your guest might have a crush on you!"

I stared at her. "Ran-neechan!" I whined. "My guest, if I had one, wouldn't be a girl! It would be a guy!"

"Then this guy must be a real gentleman." she mused. "'Cause barely anyone knows the language of flowers anymore."

"Or he just did his research." I mumbled.

"Ah! You slipped up!" she exclaimed. I looked up at her in surprise. "So? Who was your guest?" She pressed.

"Ah. Ah..." I struggled for an excuse.

"Conan-kun." she said threateningly. "Tell me the truth."

I looked down at the ground, rearranged my poker face, and then looked back up at Ran. "It was my Otou-san." I looked sad at her.

"Really? He came here?" she looked shocked.

"He just flew in from Europe and he called and asked me to unlock the door, so I let him in. I'm sad cause I haven't seen him in ages, but he bought good news!" I said excitedly.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly.

"Mama had another baby!" I exclaimed excited.

"Really?" Ran jumped up, excited. "What's the gender? How about the name? Will I get a picture? Babies are adorable!" she babbled.

"It's a girl, and her name is Hanaoka Christie. Otou-san said she has reddish brown hair like Haibara! And I'll have to ask for a picture later." I told her.

"Later?" she asked.

"Un! Otou-san said he wanted me to come home and meet the baby!" I cried happily.

"That's great Conan-kun!" she squealed. "So when are you leaving?"

"Otou-san said around next week. So I'm really sad." I said, pouting.

"Why?" She asked, confused. She then let out a huge yawn.

"Because of KID-niichan's heist! I won't be able to go!" I wailed, feigning the unhappiness of a child who can't have candy.

"Oh yeah." she said, sliding into her bed covers and yawning again.

"Maybe something will happen to you!" I said happily. "Then you would have an event and we would be even."

"Let's hope so." Ran's eyes genty slid closed. "Clean up the kitchen so Otou-san doesn't notice anything and put the flowers in a vase. Okay? Goodnight Conan-kun." she barely finished her last sentence before dosing off.

"At least the sleeping pills are helping faster than I hoped." I mumbled and left the room, closing the door tightly.

I went back to the kitchen area and retrieved the two cups used in a visit. I trudged to the sink and released a yawn of my own, trying not to fall asleep while rinsing the cups out. I searched around the cabinets after climbing the counter for a tall glass. Satisfied with the one I found, I jumped back down and filled the glass three fourths of the way. Then, returning to the kitchen table, I sat down and reached for the flowers, sticking them into glass. I couldn't find the strength to get up and return to the bedroom. In the end, I dosed off right there at the table.

* * *

**Kogoro's POV**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of that damn kitchen sink. "Who's washing the dishes at this hour of the night?" I mumbled as I went to check.

When I trudged out of the room, I found that brat sitting at the kitchen table and throwing some flowers into a tall glass filled with water. He then placed his arms on the table and fell asleep right there!

"What the hell made you so tired that you'd fall asleep at the kitchen table when you went to sleep before all of us?" I accused quietly.

He then mumbled something I barely caught. "Stupid body of an eight year old. Not enough energy to..." He stopped there.

_Not enough energy to what? _I pushed the stupid brat out of my mind and went to find a glass of water for myself. Watching those flowers bathe in water has made me thirsty too! When I set the empty glass down on the counter, it bumped something and it fell off.

"What the-?" I muttered after I bent down to pick it up and read the box. My eyes traveled to the kid asleep at the table and to the box. "Masaka na...?" I looked at the kid again. "Why the hell would you spike your drink? Or who in the world would spike the drink of an eight year old?" I asked out loud.

The boy stirred. "Gomen ne, Ran." he mumbled. "Don't cry all the time."

I snapped into action as I flew into Ran's room and found what I was looking for. I grabbed it and left the room as fast as I came. Shutting the door quietly was hard, but it was accomplished.

I shook the boy awake. "Ran-neechan?" He said sleepily. "No, I didn't drink the Paikaru."

Huh? I asked mentally, but shook it off "Wake up!" I snapped. "You have some explaining to do!" I pinched his cheek.

Nakamori-keibu!" he gasped before snapping awake. "O-o-occ-chan!" he stuttered.

"Oi! Tell me why and whose drink you spiked you brat!" I spat at him.

His face morphed into sadness. I set him don in surprise. "I spiked Ran-neechan's." he said sadly. He looked up at me with a forlorn expression.

"Why?" I demanded.

"Because it's 4 am." he whispered, eyes displaying heartbroken feelings. "And she was crying over me- " his eyes widened. "I mean Shinichi-niichan, again. When I saw her, her eyes were so red and puffy I knew she wasn't getting any sleep."

I sighed and sat down on the chair. "So you spiked her drink so that she would sleep? That's low. Something I would do though, if I was desperate." I admitted reluctantly.

"I know it's dirty." he said sighing. "But I can't stand watching her cry like this." He put his head down on the table. "She needs to move on. It's gonna happen soon." he said as he fell asleep again. "I promise she'll be back in the game and I'll let her go." he mumbled tiredly.

"What? " I whispered, confused. "I'm watching you, Edogawa Conan. And I'll find out what I need soon enough." I swore as I rummaged through a closet nearby for a blanket.

After finding a wool blanket, I draped it over his shoulders and gave them a good pat. "But whatever it is you're doing, if it's within reason, I'll forgive it and I'll help. So good luck." I vowed.

'I've never felt so strongly for a kid before.' I thought as I removed his dorky glasses. 'Except for Ran and that detective geek when he was little, but this guy, after staying with us for this much time, he's growing on me a little.' I laughed a little at the thought and abruptly stopped as I saw the kid's face.

"K-K-Kudou Shinichi!" I stuttered. "He looks just like that detective brat!" I breathed.

Then everything made sense! Why I couldn't remember any cases that the Nemuri no Kogoro showed up in, why this kid always gave clues to the police and I on cases, how this kid always had extra care for Ran and sometimes even that Sonoko girl, how he mumbled those things, how he was such a great actor, how he solved KID's riddles, how he and KID were rivals, how KID invited this guy to all the heists held in Beika-Chou after the Black Star case. It all just clicked. Even that Hakase and his adoptive daughter seemed weird around him when we were in their presence.

Back the truck up! No Kogoro! What are you thinking? You just came home after being drunk at a Mahjong game, and now your hangover is giving you weird thoughts. Yeah, that's it. Just gotta drink my water and go to bed. That's it.

So I did just that. Pushed the whole ordeal out of my mind , drank my water, and went back to bed. Tomorrow, I won't have these thoughts! I happily went to bed after that and never kept the case in my mind afterwards.

Thank goodness.

* * *

**Next day!**

**Normal POV**

* * *

Conan woke up to a sober Occ-chan and a very giddy Ran-neechan.

"Conan-kun!" Ran giggled after she finished cleaning up after the breakfast mess the family made. "Did your dad say what day you were leaving?"

"The brat's goin' somewhere?" Occ-chan asked.

"You'd never guess it but Conan-kun's mother had a baby!" Ran-neechan exclaimed happily.

"Oh no! Don't tell me we have to take care of a baby next!" he groaned. "This brat's already a handful! Running around during cases and stuff like that." he grumbled.

'Warugatta na.' Conan thought. "Don't worry about that Oji-san!" he smiled brightly. "But Otou-san and Okaa-san want me to meet Hana-chan!"

"Hana-chan?" Ran-neechan asked.

"Un! 'Cause Hana-chan is short for Hanaoka. But her name is Hanaoka Christie!" Conan explained.

"First Conan, and now Christie. Yup, I knew your family was mystery crazy. Naming the children after the king and queen of mystery." Kogoro rolled his eyes.

"So? When are you leaving?" Ran inquired again.

"Wednesday." Conan replied immediately.

"Jottou! " Ran exclaimed. "Today's Monday! You should start packing!"

"And getting ready for school." Kogoro added.

"Shimatta! I knew I forgot something!" Conan exclaimed after looking at his watch. He ran into the room Kogoro and him share and got his backpack.

"Conan-kun!" Ran gasped. "I knew hanging around Nakamori-keibu wouldn't do you good!"

"Oh come on Ran-neechan! You know he wouldn't say something like 'crap' when he knows a lot more words." Conan-kun rolled his eyes.

"I guess you're right." Ran shrugged. "But I don't wanna hear anything worse then that."

"Hai!" Conan laughed a bit before grabbing his sneakers. "Aren't you going to school today, Ran-neechan?" he inquired after noticing that she hasn't made a move to put on her uniform.

"No. I checked my temperature when I woke up and it looks like I have a slight fever. As much as I would like to go to school with just a surgical mask, Otou-san said to rest at home to keep it from getting worse. Something like, 'if you rest while its slight and miss only one day, then you'll be fine tomorrow. Instead of missing several days because you pushed yourself.'"

"Oji-san said that?" Conan looked up at her wide eyed.

She nodded. "Then he mumbled something about pills and sleep. Weird right?"

"Ha, ha." Conan laughed nervously. "Anyway, ja ne, Ran-neechan! And get lots of rest!" he said as he went out the door.

"I will, don't worry Conan-kun."

"Oh and tell Oji-san to buy some medicine, we ran out from the last time I caught a cold." He called up the stairs.

"Thanks Conan-kun!" Ran said before closing the door.

* * *

**With our mini-Holmes.**

* * *

I whipped out my phone and dialed a semi-familiar number. After the third ring, the was an answer.

"Yo, Kudou!" the voice on the other end greeted. "What case are ya stuck on dat needs my help even though I'm in Osaka?" He teased.

"Shut up or I won't tell you the news!" I yelled into the phone, earning many glances from the people around me.

"Joudan! Oi, Kudou! Are ya listenin'? I was just jokin'!" he whined.

"Whatever you say Hattori. Is this a bad time?" I asked suddenly.

"Are ya kiddin'? Usual'y, I'm the one who's gotta ask if its a good time 'er not!" he ranted.

"Just answer the question." I sighed. "What's all that noise? Is it raining on your end?"

"Righ'. Well I'm just walkin' ta school with Kazuha. Nothin' too bad. So what's da news? And ya. It's rainin'."

"I've decided Hattori. It's gotta happen. And now." I explained quietly.

"Oi, Kudou, masaka! Are ya talkin' 'bout givin' up on 'Neechan?" he asked almost whining. "Don' ' tell me it's dat!" he exclaimed.

"I have to. Haibara got a temporary antidote based off of Paikaru and some other things she's tried out so she says it'll last a week." I explained.

Suddenly, Hattori was yelling on the other end. "What are ya doin' Kazuha! Stop it dou ahou!"

Then a new voice came through the phone. "_Ano saa_!" Kazuha yelled into the phone while I got my bow tie ready. "Ran-chan has been waitin' fer, almost two years, fer ya! How can ya say yer givin' up now?"

I heard Hattori grab the phone. "Hattori, put me on speaker." I commanded.

He listened and said. "Alrigh', Kudou. Yer on." he said seriously and sadly.

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

Kazuha looked at him in disbelief. "Toyama-chan." Came Kudou's real voice. "I love Ran from the bottom of my heart the same way you and Hattori love each other." he said seriously.

"We don' love each other!" they exclaimed in unison.

"'BAROO!'" Kudou replied. "Is that what you think I am?"

"Course not, Kudou-kun." Kazuha said quickly.

"I might be dense when it comes to love," Kudou started.

"Tell meh 'bout it!" Hattori replied.

"'K... I walked into that one." he deadpanned.

"Dat ya did." Hattori nodded solemnly.

"Urusei!" Came the reply. "Anyway, like I said. I love Ran from the bottom of my heart. But I seriously don't think I'll be back in time for her. I don't want to watch- I mean hear- about her suffering." he explained.

"How d' ya know 'bout 'er sufferin'?" Kazuha asked.

"My relative Conan is there as my spy. He tells me all the time about how Ran is crying herself to sleep at night- and I -" Kudou choked.

"Oi Kudou! Ya don't have ta explain if it's too hard!" Hattori scolded quietly.

"No." Kudou said harshly. "I deserve it." he explained. "I just can't take it anymore. It breaks my heart to hear about Ran crying like that. I know that kid isn't even giving me all the details. That squirt has the biggest heart, I can tell he knows more about everything than any other eighteen year old." Kudou laughed bitterly.

"Kudou-kun..." Kazuha said sadly.

"Hattori!" he suddenly exclaimed. "You've caught a good one! She doesn't even know me yet she's worried! She has a big heart too."

"I know dat ahou! 'N' I don't remember catchin' anythin'!" he yelled at the phone. "So what's yer point fer callin'?"

"I wanted to know if you would come to Tokyo in two days. It's the beginning of break and I'm getting that squirt out of there on a vacation. So I was wondering if Toyama-chan would stay at the agency with Ran. And maybe Hattori..." He trailed off.

"I get it! Ya need a bro over there for yerself 'n' a neechan for that 'Neechan. So yer relyin' on us fer da job. Am I right?" Hattori asked.

"Ah- ah..." Kudou struggled with a reply.

"Don' worry Kudou-kun! We'll be dere! Righ' Heiji? " Kazuha nudged his arm.

"We got yer back Kudou! Ya need me? I'm there fer ya!" Hattori cheered.

"You guys are the best friends anyone could ever have." Kudou stated. "So you don't mind spending your break in Hell-chou, Tokyo?"

"I know it'll be bad, but 'hell' migh' be exaggeratin'." Hattori replied.

"No Hattori." he said seriously. "It's going to be hell. If you don't want to come, you don't have to. Just say it right now." he said quietly.

"I ain't backin' down now!" Kazuha vowed. "I gotta be dere! Fer Ran-chan!"

"I'm comin' fer ya Kudou! Like it or not!" Hattori vowed.

"Kami-sama. What did I do to earn hell's curse on my bow tie, while still having the golden rope of hope born from friendship?" he sighed poetically.

"Ya stuck yer nose in a case." Hattori said seriously.

Kudou laughed. "That's probably, the best answer, I've heard!" he said between laughs.

"Oh I get it! Cause yer always on a case 'n' yet ya can't go home and give up. It's dat big a case isn't it?" Kazuha laughed. "What're ya doin'? Bringin' down an organization?" The boys stopped laughing. Kazuha stared at the phone and Heiji. "Oi, Oi! Maaji dayo?" Kazuha wailed.

"Yeah that's it." Kudou confessed.

"Oi Oi! Speaker phone!" Hattori hissed looking around after covering the phone. "Are ya tryin' to get yerself killed?!"

"I'm walking through an ally way, so no one heard, and anyone around would've ignored it since there's no info for them and would've thought it was a joke between friends." he explained. "If you're so worried, plug some head phones in and give one to Toyama-chan."

"Alrigh' alrigh', but remember, it's yer funeral." Hattori muttered, following the directions.

Kudou was laughing. "Hattori, you know better than to say stuff like that! They usually come true with my luck."

"Woah, Kudou-kun!" Kazuha gasped. "Is it dat bad?"

Kudou hesitated in answering. "Yah Kazuha. But if you want to keep your peaceful life as it is, I suggest you don't repeat a word of what you've heard or ask for details." he said darkly.

"Kudou! Yer gonna scare the wits out of 'er!" Hattori whined.

"I take it ya know the details den Heiji?" Kazuha asked.

"I do but only cause I was investigatin' the little bugger at the agency awhile back. So I stole the dude's phone 'n' re-dialed the only number dat didn't have a name. Which was Kudou's, the idiot thought it was the boy on this side 'n' gave a report on how well he was doin'. Then I put two 'n' two together and it clicked." Hattori explained.

"So Conan-kun is like a replacement of Shinichi-kun?" Kazuha asked.

Heiji looked bug eyed at her, and Kudou laughed at the silence. "Why not? I called her Kazuha. I couldn't help it! When Hattori's not talking about a case he solved, he's saying 'Kazuha did this and Kazuha did that.' Sometimes, I wonder if I sound like that to him about Ran." Kudou joked.

"I don' say dat!" Heiji tried to cover it up, but was blushing immensely. "Thanks a lot so ya 'now, when ya talk 'bout 'Neechan, ya sound so sad, I wonder if ya just went to a soap opera 'n' called me cryin' 'bout it."

"Gee, thanks." Kudou could be heard rolling his eyes.

"Is it dat bad?" Kazuha whispered to Hattori.

Hattori nodded solemnly. "Oi! Are ya listening? Hattori?" Kudou called from the phone.

"Gomen! What did'j'ya say?" Hattori laughed.

"I said if you need money for a plane or train ride, I can help out a bit." Kudou offered.

"Damn, Kudou, of all da times ya asked me ta come ta Tokyo, ya've never offered ta pay fer the tickets. Ya really want us dere don't ya?" Hattori asked.

_"Yeah, I really need your help guys."_ Kudou whispered.

"We already promised dat we're comin', Shinichi-kun. Do ya need it in writin' er somethin'?" Kazuha joked.

"That'd be nice." Kudou replied.

"Oi Oi!" Heiji muttered. "Ayway, we're 'bout to walk into da school, and I bet you're walkin' with science 'Neechan and da others, so we'll talk ta ya later when I call to tell ya 'r arrival time. Got that Kudou?"

"Yeah sure. Just don't call right after school tomorrow, these kids'll probably wonder why I keep talking on the phone so much. Ja." he said hanging up.

"Kids? School? I thought Shinichi-kun didn't go ta school because of dat case." Kazuha mused.

Heiji leaned in and whispered into her ear. "He goes ta school under an alias and different appearance. Just so that he doesn't worry the people he's stayin' with cause they don't even 'now 'bout any of it. "

"So he's lyin' ta everyone?! That's so sad!" Kazuha almost cried.

"I 'now. Just imagine how he feels, knowin' dat he's lyin' like dat and not bein' able ta return ta 'Neechan." Heiji mumbled. "Kudou's probably the strongest person I've ever met."

Kazuha nodded quickly in reply as they approached the classroom doors.

"We'll talk about this later. I wanna know without knowin'." she explained.

Heiji nodded in response. "If that's possible."

* * *

**A/N: sooooo how did I do? I want to apologize for making some people seem kinda OCC, but I think I made them a little more realistic and not the idiots Aoyama-sensei portrays them to be. Don't get me wrong, I love his work, but I think if everyone was a little more realistic, than Conan would get discovered.**

**Anyway, Reviews make me update faster! And constructive criticism is welcomed by all means.**

**I would like to acknowledge all ShinKai or KaiShin writers for making me write this. I enjoyed piecing this story together bit by bit. I would also like to apologize if it seems a bit fasted paced or some conversations were too long. Also if you didn't understand some Japenese. It's pretty basic so I think everyone understood. But if anyone would like a translation, pm me. Umm... Sorry if it seems like I started off the story at a bad time of Conan/Shinichi's life. Bear with me guys! So Shinichi meets Heiji and Kazuha in his true form next chapter! Yay! Also sorry for any typos that aren't spelled wrong, I typed this up on my IPod. -_-"**

**Umm... I think that's all I wanted to say. So thanks for reading!**

**~ Crescent T.**

* * *

**EDITED 7/3/13 from 10 PM - 1 AM See how hard working I am? ;D**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Enjoy this update guys! The time span for updating is usually very different since I like to write this up somewhere in my free time. So you might get an update the next week or the next day. Sorry bout that.

Anyway time to do the thing we all hate the most. The unfair words of... Disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I don't own DC or MK and a bunch I legal stuff nobody really reads, blah blah blah!

And thank you to those who have followed, favorited, or reviewed. I really was in review heaven! If I can't pm you and give you a response to your review, you can find it at the bottom. Thanks guys!

Mouri Detective Agency

November 23 Tuesday 4:56 pm.

Conan's POV

I wanted to wait forever. For Hattori's call about the time he would come. The call will be what seals my fate. Once Hattori states the time he arrives, I can't turn back. I'll never hear the end of it from Hattori and it would be even worse if he stayed silent. So all I could do was wait.

" Conan-kun? " came Ran's voice, snapping me out of my stupor.

" Gomen Ran-neechan! " I replied. " what did you say? " I looked up at her from my seat on the couch in the agency office.

" is something the matter? You've been staring at your phone's screen for half and hour completely silent. " she said quietly as she sat next to me. " are you waiting for a call? "

" yeah. Heiji-niichan is coming over with Kazuha-neechan tomorrow so I'm waiting for the time they'll be here. Heiji-niichan said he would call and tell me so we can pick them up at the station or airport. " I explained.

" Kazuha's coming?! Why didn't you say anything before? The house is a total mess! We need to clean up! "She babbled. She stopped abruptly and peered down at me. " you were right Conan-kun. " she smiled softly.

" about what? " I asked tearing my eyes away from the cell phone's screen.

" about an event so that we would be even! " she explained happily. " just like you said! " she laughed a little.

" ah. I guess so. " then under my breath I added, " but I never said the event would be good. " I sighed and trained my eyes once more on the cell phone screen.

Ran walked away humming after that. I suppose she's going to get cleaning supplies to clean up Occ-chan's latest beer can mountain. I huffed a large sigh and swung my body to lie on the couch. I held the screen in front of my face and thought about, again for the umpteenth time, what I would say to Ran.

Kazuha thought letting her down gently was the best. However she wasn't an insider, and she didn't know that it was important for Ran to completely forget about me. Haibara voted for a cold shoulder and dump, even mention that I was dating another girl. Hattori hadn't placed in his vote, but said that if it were him and Kazuha, then he would be harsh about it but then explain my actions slightly and gently. I'm thinking about which of the three I should choose.

Suddenly, I heard Ran's excited babbling voice as she walked into the agency with some one behind her. I couldn't bring myself to lift my body up and see who it was. It didn't matter because they walked into my line of sight and I froze.

" Onee-sama and Oji-san! " I shot up surprised to see my parents, not in disguise.

" oh Conan-kun! " Okaa-san jumped onto the couch and smothered me in motherly embrace.

" long time no see, Conan-kun. " Otou-san smirked in amusement.

I laughed nervously. " yeah! But is this really okay? " I asked prying myself away from the smothering embrace.

" is what okay? " Ran asked.

" is it okay for you two to be here in Japan? Oji-san can't your editors find you easily here? " I asked.

" Yuusaku just fed those hungry dogs yesterday so that we could visit today! " Okaa-san chirped up.

" that's great. " Ran smiled. " Yukiko-san, my mother was planning on visiting tonight. Would you two like to join us for dinner? "

" Eri-chan is coming? " Okaa-san's face lit up and I took the chance to scramble to the other sofa.

Ran nodded in reply. " so would that be okay? " she asked turning her attention to Otou-san.

" if we wouldn't cause any trouble to you, Ran-kun, then I don't see why we can't stay for dinner. " Otou-san answered with a small polite bow.

" actually, I can think of a lot of trouble it can cause. " I grumbled to myself quietly.

" what was that? Did you say something, Conan-kun?" Okaa-san smiled threateningly.

" I'm sorry, you must've misheard. " I announced innocently. " I didn't say a thing! "

" I'll get some coffee for you and call Okaa-san to tell her you two are attending dinner tonight. " Ran announced after opening the door to the agency. " and I'll get my dad. "

After the door closed I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at my parents expectantly. "Nde? " I started off. " why are you here a day early? " I asked.

Okaa-san smiled sweetly and Otou-san chuckled. " we can't come and visit our shrunk Shin-chan? "

" no. You can't visit me. " I said with a slightly edgy tone. My parents looked at me in surprise. " unless you want to live through hell city, Tokyo like Hattori and Kazuha-chan. " I mumbled.

" hell city? " Okaa-san questioned. " Yuusaku? Was there a city like that here? "

" I don't believe so. I'm sure there's one in America though. " he said after cupping his chin.

" that's not what I mean. " I stated.

" Shin-chan..." Okaa-san pouted.

" so will you explain what you mean? Or should we wait to figure it out ourselves? " Otou-san inquired watching my movements.

I restrained myself from slumping my shoulders and explaining. Instead, I shifted into a smooth, uncrackable poker face mask. Okaa-san's eyes widened in shock.

" Yuusaku! " she jumped up from her seat on the sofa. " Shin-chan put that on! " she emphasized the 'that'.

" that? " he paused and whipped his head around to look at me. " he did! " Otou-san gasped.

" Game face! " they whispered in unison and english, leaning close to inspect my face.

" Game face?" Ran asked in English walking into the room. " you mean like a po..po.. " she struggled with the pronunciation.

" Poker face? " I asked in English snapping out of my stupor.

" right! That's it! " Ran exclaimed, snapping her fingers. " wow Conan-kun! I didn't know you knew English so well. " Ran pat my head and I smiled up at her.

" when my family and I lived in America, I learned it so that I can play with the other kids and read books! " I chirped happily. I think it was too sweet because Ran looked down at me like I was a kicked puppy.

" So? " Okaa-san demanded the attention, drawing it away from me. " How did Eri-chan react? Did you tell her Yuusaku is with me? "

" Okaa-san was really happy! Saying stuff like, ' Yukiko-chan is joining us for dinner? ' and ' Yuusaku-kun is coming too? It's high school all over again! ' . "

Otou-san chuckled and Okaa-san giggled. " Yay! High school with everyone! Kogoro-kun will be so happy! " Otou-san nodded happily.

" Of course he will. " I mumbled. " especially since the restaurant we're going to sells fancy and old style wine. "

Otou-san looked at me using a side glance, obviously amused at my mumbling. His features were graced with a slight and goofy smirk. " so? Where's Kogoro-kun?" He asked.

" Otou-san is taking a bath and slowly getting ready for dinner. He said we should relax in the living room upstairs until he's done. " Ran explained.

" I guess that means he wants us to close up early, ne? " I shrugged slightly.

" maybe we should.. " Ran mumbled, turning the idea over in her head. " Conan-kun? " she said suddenly.

" Nani? " I asked jumping off the couch and approaching her in small strides.

" can you look around and see if you can find that sign up paper anywhere? " she asked crouching to my height.

" Un! I'm the best seeker ever! Nothing can hide from me! " I replied happily. All this child acting is making me sick. I don't think I'll survive the dinner tonight.

Ran laughed. " whatever you say, Conan-kun. " she replied standing up.

I looked at my parents who both had expressions that were trying to hold back laughter. I sent then a brief and hard glare before I zoomed out of the room like an excited five year old.

Oh, Kami-sama, please help me.

Yukiko's POV! Yay!

Shin-chan zoomed out of the room like the little kid he was, except much more childish.

" so? " Ran-chan piped up, staring at the door. " you noticed it right? " she glanced at us.

Yuusaku grew cautious. " notice what? "

She turned to face us with a sad expression. " Conan-kun's sweet child act was kicked up a notch today. " she sat down and sighed, putting an arm over her eyes. " something's really wrong with him. "

" what makes you say he has an act or that something's wrong? " I asked automatically.

" I've been living with Conan-kun for almost two years. " she sighed, removing her arm to look at us. " Otou-san and I have both noticed how he's very mature, but pretends to act like a kid if he gets suspected. I've experienced it first hand, and I tend to ignore it. After all , what can I really do to help him? If he lies to all of us adults for so long, then he has a good reason. " she explained. Her face was solemn and her eyes brimmed with understanding.

" and? " Yuusaku sat across from Ran-chan and I followed. " what else have you noticed? " he asked leaning into the sofa and crossing his arms over his chest.

" Conan-kun gets involved with a lot of cases, he can act really upset at something that an eight year old shouldn't be upset at, he's like a detective prodigy child. " Ran finished.

" hmmm~ " I nodded understanding. " that child has an IQ around 400. " I stated. " so he literally runs for the first thing that provides a challenge for him. " I explained, taking in Ran's expression. " cases are probably the best thing for him. I guess that's why he won't leave here. "

Ran's expression wasn't of shock at this information. It was an expression that said she was expecting it to come. " Do you know anything else? "

" Ran-kun, you don't seem surprised. " Yuusaku noted. " why not? " he asked, allowing his arms to drop to his sides.

Ran looked at him with a slightly bored expression. " I've always known that Conan-kun was different. I think the only people like him would be Hattori-kun, who gets along well with him, Ai-chan, who seems to be in the same situation as him, Hakase, who provides Conan-kun with interesting cases when we or the Shounen Tantei-Dan can't, and... " she trailed off, hesitating at what she wanted to say.

" and? " I pressed. To the best of my knowledge, she had named everyone. Who else could know Shin-chan like that as Conan?

She gulped and looked at both of our faces seriously. " Kaitou KID. " she paused to see are reactions, but my husband and I immediately, slipped on Game Face. " who specifically makes riddles for the ' Tantei-kun of Division One' . " she quoted.

" ho~? " Yuusaku chuckled. " KID, ka? " he looked over at me his eyes gleaming with excitement.

I giggled. " of course he would reel in a phantom thief so easily! " I bumped Yuusaku with my elbow. " that's my-"

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. " Ran-neechan, I found the paper. I just tacked it to the wall next to the sign we use. "Shin-chan said walking up to Ran and pulling her up off the couch by hand. " let's lock up now! That way, we can get ready for the dinner! "

" ahh! Jottou, matte! Conan-kun! " she exclaimed as she was pulled to the door.

" Oji-san and Onee-sama, haiyaku! " Shin-chan beckoned.

I looked at Yuusaku, who exchanged glances with me. Both of us had the same question, " what's his plan now? "

I replied to Shin-chan's beckoning with a laugh. " someone's eager to have their special dinner! " I threw the life saver.

Shin-chan took it gratefully and nodded. " Un! The last time we had dinner in a fancy diner, was when Kogoro Oji-san solved a big," he stretched out his arms for emphasis as Ran locked up. " case that payed well! "

" hmmm~? That's nice. " I smiled and scooped him up into my arms.

To this he replied with a " a-ah! " , which allowed me to giggle and pinch his cheek.

And suddenly, his phone rang. It happened so quickly, I barely caught it, but Shin-chan's breath caught in his throat and he went rigid. He blanched and I set him down.

The moment his feet touched the floor, he sprinted away like a cat who was being cases by a dog. In the middle of the street. Who was also on fire.

" Ah! Conan...kun...? " Ran called, confusion swept over her features.

" don't worry, it must be a call he was waiting for. " Yuusaku assured her.

She stared in the direction Shin-chan was in before cupping her chin in thought. A habit she picked up from being around Shin-chan so much. " well he was waiting for a call all day. " she mumbled. She removed her hand to speak. " you should've seen him. The moment he came home from school, he sat on the couch and stared at his phone, sighing, swinging his legs, and staying silent the entire time. It took me half an hour to get his attention. And even then, he was barely paying attention to me, replying with 'okay', or 'whatever you say, Ran-neechan' . It was freaking me out! " she explained as we climbed the stairs up to the apartment. " he had the most lost look on his face, along with a sad pout and a kicked puppy look. "

" Ahhh! " I cried sadly. " my cute little detective relative is so sad over a phone call! It's love troubles! I know it! " I wailed as we sat down on Ran's couches.

" I think that too. " Ran nodded. " I think it has something to do with Ayumi-chan or Ai-chan. " she said.

I perked up at this info. " but I thought the Mitsuhiko boy was gonna end up with Ai-kun! Even though I could tell she liked Conan-kun, they wouldn't end up together cause of Conan's love interest. " I babbled.

" do you know who it is? " she asked excitedly.

" sadly no... He has the best Poker Face. " I explained. " it's right there next to Kaitou KID's . "

" oh yeah... After a heist here, Conan-kun was fuming and grumbling something about a 'stupid thief's poker face. Why should I believe that? ' . " she recalled pouting and pursing her lips to mimic Conan-kun.

Yuusaku burst out laughing. " my guess is that he met up with KID, made a bet on the spur of the moment, and lost it or was about to. "

I nodded my head. " hmm! Hmm!" I turned to look at Ran. " do you know who made up KID's name? " I asked her smiling.

Ran shook her head. " no. Who was it? " she asked, the topic grabbing her attention. " I know the details, but I never heard who did it. "

I pointed to Yuusaku who had stopped laughing. " it was him! He did it a long time ago! "

Her eyes widened. " you did?! " she gasped. " that's amazing! "

" deshou? " I asked excitedly.

Shin-chan walked in with a full on Game Face. Which consisted of a childish smile that didn't reach his eyes. " I'm back. Sorry about that back there, it was an important call from Heiji-niichan. He said his flight would be here by two tomorrow while my flight will be at around four. " he explained.

Ran nodded. " why don't you get ready for the dinner now? " she asked kindly.

" sure! " he walked into the room he and Kogoro-kun share and closed the door tightly behind him.

" I should get ready myself. " Ran sighed getting up.

I nodded. " we'll wait here, Kogoro-kun should be here any moment. "

She nodded before going into her room humming.

I turned to Yuusaku who, in turn , turned to me. We chuckled in unison. " do you think ...? " I laughed.

" ah ha. " he nodded. " pfffft! " he let out before bursting into peals of laughter, I joined him.

" how's he gonna get outta this one?" I laughed.

" who outta what? " Shin-chan came in out of the room in lovely clothing!

" Kakuiiii! " I squealed jumping Shin-chan for a hug. " Shin-chan~! You look so cool! " I snatched the glasses off his face.

He was wearing a type if mini suit, used especially for dates that had been set up with your all time crush. It consisted if a dark blouse, a dark green jean jacket with lots of buttons and elbow length sleeves. He wore his regular belt, along with his kick enhancing shoes, but his shorts were replaced by long dark dress pants.

" Oi! Give 'em back! " he hissed. " if Ran was to walk in and see me like this, what would she think? "

" that you look just like Shinichi? " A voice stated calmly from behind.

" yeah that's it! " Shin-chan said jumping up to get his glasses. " what do you think that would result in? " he hissed. " wait a sec... You didn't answer... Ja? " his eyes traveled from me to Ran standing behind us all, leaning on her doorway frame, arms crossed over her chest.

" Ran-chan! " I said happily. " how long have you been standing there? "

" enough to hear the entire conversation. Maybe you didn't notice. Shin-chan. " she drawled out the name.

" you like the nick name too? " Yuusaku piped up. " we chose it because he looks just like Shinichi when he was little. "

" hmmm. That's nice Conan-kun. " she smiled. " what did Shinichi say about that? " she asked casually.

" Shinichi-niichan said it was awesome 'cause he hates the nickname used on him. So he thought that Onee-sama would stop using it if they had someone else to use it on. " Shin-chan explained. " anyway, Ran-neechan, that's a pretty dress. I didn't know you had that. "

She looked down at herself a twirled once. " I know right? Yesterday, when I went out, I got this with Sonoko. "

Shin-chan laughed. " that's nice. I'm glad you felt good enough to go out. "

" right. But like I said, the fever was only slight and after napping a little at home and getting medicine from Otou-san, I felt good as new! " Ran explained.

" Ran-chan~ ! " I smirked slightly. " I wanna do your hair and makeup! " I wailed and grabbed her hand.

" ah! Jottou! I wasn't planing on makeup! It would be too much for just a dinner! " she said as I dragged her across the room and to the bathroom door.

" A woman must always look her best. An occasion, always requires a little makeup! " I said happily.

" but! " she protested as I threw her into the bathroom.

Once inside, I closed the door and leaned against it, Ran sitting on the toilet. Seat down of course, my dear readers.

" ne? " I smirked, watching Ran twiddle her thumbs. " that's a pretty good disguise you've got there. KID-kun~! " I sang.

" E-eh?! " she exclaimed. " me? KID? " she said whispering, her eyes on the door.

" un! " I nodded happily. " oh don't worry! "I said laughing after taking in the expression. " I'm here to help your disguise, even though you claim to be a master, and Shin-chan knows that you're a fake. " I said.

KID cleared his throat. " ho~? So Tantei-kun knows? How? " he asked smirking, his voice returned to his original sound.

I smiled at his cooperation." He knows because he went out to buy that dress with Sonoko-chan and Ran-chan. "

" ah cha! " he huffed and face palmed. " something I should've looked into. " he sighed.

" also, the moment you said Shin-chan tipped him off. For reasons I can't explain. " I said.

" ah, you mean Tantei-kun's secret? I'm in the process of figuring that out. He's actually deliberately gave me hints to his identity. My top guess is that he's someone from the Witness Protection Program. Possibly a severe case of it too. " he explained.

" why are you openly and willingly telling me this? " I asked curious.

" you remind me of someone. " he stated quietly after a moment of thought. " a woman with your hair color and complexion. She had a mischievous spirit, and often visited my family when I was little. I remember that she often bought her family over and that there was a boy my age who mysteriously, I can't remember his face. " he explained smiling.

I laughed slightly. " oh that's nice. I'm glad I've earned a little of your trust with my looks. " I wiggled my eye brows. The action earned me a happy chuckle. " now, I want you to take that disguise off. " I said seriously . " if this is gonna work, to trick Shin-chan, we've gotta start from scratch here. " I explained.

He looked surprised and then, " humph" . He smiled slightly. " And the great Kaitou KID gets a new secret assistant. " he stated as he ripped off a latex mask.

I nodded. " I saw nothing and heard nothing. " I giggled zipping my lips and handing him an imaginary key.

He chuckled. " I like you! It seems you, unlike Tantei-kun , can actually dream. "

I turned around from the makeup box I pulled out of my purse and gasped, dropping my brushes. " Shinichi!"

He blinked once and then laughed. " oh no. I'm not that detective geek. Though when I see him in newspapers, I gasp thinking someone caught a picture of my face. And then I read the headline and sigh with relief . " he paused in thought as I shakily grabbed my brushes off of the floor. " you know, when I saw a colored picture in an interview picture, I saw a couple of differences. "

" oh? And what would those be? " I asked getting a few foundations out of my box.

" I'm sure you've noticed the differences in our hair styles. " he said and I turned to get a better look.

"Hmmm.. " I said in thought. " hontou da! What did you do? Allow one of your doves to nest in it? " I gasped slightly.

He laughed and I prepared to have him wipe his face clean. " everyone says that! You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard that! " he chuckled to himself as I handed him a damp rag.

He accepted it and quickly wiped his face before handing the rag back to me. Immediately, I set to work on his face, sometimes looking at a picture of Ran I had in my phone. One of Shin-chan's ' Detective KID' ones.

" another difference is our eye colors. My eyes are more violet than blue. " he explained.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. " I have a hint for you KID-kun. "

He looked at me and I almost laughed. A half Ran and a half KID/Shin-chan looked at me. Immediately, I snapped a picture. " what are you doing? " he hissed.

" you have too much makeup on for anyone to tell your identity, but you looked like a child of Ran and Shin-chan! I couldn't help it! You surprised me! " I whined.

He looked skeptical at first but asked to see the picture to judge it himself. " hmmm, it doesn't look like anyone could get anything from this. Just don't show it to anyone okay? "

I nodded, taking the phone back. " anyway, this is what I wanted you to see. " I said showing him the ' Detective KID' message and photo.

He looked at it and sighed. " humph! I never liked plagiarism. " he responded.

I laughed getting back to work on the makeup. " Shin-chan sent that Ran-chan. " I said quietly.

" ha? Tantei-kun did? " he lifted Ran's eyebrow.

I nodded. " while it was his fingers that pressed the send button, Shin-chan actually sent that. "

" gah! " he exploded after three minutes of thought. " detective work is for Tantei-kun, Tantei-san, Tantei-Han, and Meitantei-san. " he stated running a hand through his hair. " I dunno how my Tanteis do it. All the mind puzzles! "

* play piano music from DC here*

I laughed. " then, like you said, Tanteis and thieves are very alike. " he looked at me. " 'tantei-kun', " I quoted. " deciphers the tricks of the mind, while you create them. It sounds like mind puzzles to me. The opposite sides of the same coin. " I said while putting the final touches on my master piece.

" ' a detective is a critic searching for possibilities, while a thief is an artist of many ideas. ' " he quoted nodding.

" KID the first. Ne? " I smiled as I waited for his reaction.

" you... You knew Otou-san? " he asked shocked. His poker face crumbled. His expression saddened to the worst one I've seen on Ran-chan.

" that I did. " I nodded, getting the wig he had and brushing it out a little. " in fact, my Yuusaku used to have the same relationship with him as you and Conan-kun. " I smiled at the memory.

" really? " he whispered. " Otou-san. " he mumbled.

" Yuusaku is the one that came up with KID. " I stated suddenly.

He looked up. " one mystery down! Several more and new ones to come and go! " he said with false excitement.

I laughed and pulled him up to the mirror. He gasped. " waa! Suge! " he touched his face. " this looks more real then any of my latex masks! " he breathed.

" you walked to an actress for help. " I shrugged smiling. " it's what you get when you sit for a while. "

There was a small poof of smoke and he held a flower out to me. " For the wonderful young lady who has the mind of the devil's spawn. " he smirked with Ran's face.

" why thank you for the compliments. My fee will be one thing. " ' Ran' looked at me with a question gracing ' her ' features. " that would be a lesson in doing that thing with your voice. So I can pass it on to little Shin-chan for emergency uses when he can't use the bow tie. "

" ah like when he darts Mouri-Tantei and uses the bow tie for solving cases? " he asked. I nodded firmly. " I don't see why not, but it'll take a while. Are you willing to suffer my training? Former great actress, Fujimine Yukiko. "

" I could handle it. And I've been through worse training. I know, there's nothing that can top that one. " I said and I gave an involuntary shiver at the memory.

Suddenly, there was knocking at the door. KID poof-ed away all of his former disguise and set the makeup box into a messier stage of use. " Onee-sama! Ran-neechan! " Shin-chan's voice whined. " we're gonna leave without you! Kisaki-sensei is waiting downstairs in Poirot for us! "

" I'm putting the final touches on Ran-chan's makeup and cleaning up, Shin-chan! " I called happily. " we should be out in a minute. "

I cleaned up the makeup box and did a final check on my master piece of a disguise. " looks good to me! Tantei-kun will never figure it out! " KID-kun whispered excitedly.

I shook my head. " it's up to how well you act Ran-chan. She doesn't like her parents fighting and tries her best to get them together. But the smallest slip can tip off little Shin-chan. " I explained quietly. " he knows Ran like the back of his hand, better than anyone else. And being a detective helps him notice her little habits. But I think you can do it. You are KID and I'm sure you've done your research. " I smiled before shutting the clasp on the box and sliding it into my purse. " let's go now, Ran-chan! You look so cute! " I wailed loudly.

" it's a little embarrassing! " 'she ' whined. " do I have to? " she pouted as I opened the bathroom door and pushed her out. " I guess I never had a choice. " she mumbled as she took in the expressions of everyone in the room.

Shin-chan was blushing slightly and mumbling a 'wow'. Yuusaku was a little shocked and a bit suspicious, but once he saw my face, it was clear to him what was going on. Kogoro-kun was mumbling something like ' Eri's doppelgänger'.I giggled at Shin-chan's reaction and ' Ran-chan' shifted nervously under their stares.

" I knew I should've refused. " she mumbled turning to go back to the bathroom. I blocked the way and closed the door.

" what are you saying, Ran-chan?! " I cried as I dragged her over to everyone else. " you look like a doll! " I turned to Shin-chan and crouched to his level, smirking evilly and he froze. I picked him up like a puppy and held him to Ran's eye level.

' Ran' blinked and stepped back as I nodded slightly at the movement. " what do you think, Conan-kun? " I asked.

He went red in the face. His cheeks glowing a lovely shade of reddish pink. " a-ah. " he struggled for words and sighed, hanging his head. " it's really pretty, Ran-neechan. " he started. " Onee-sama is right, you really do look like a doll. " he said quietly.

Ran took him into her arms and sighed with relief. " Really, Conan-kun? That means a lot to me and makes me feel a lot better. " she sighed embracing Shin-chan. Suddenly, Shin-chan's gaze grew to that of a lover who couldn't say his last words to their true love, gun pointed at the back of their head.

Then it clicked.

Without hesitation, I flew to Yuusaku's side and pulled him over to a back part of the room without Kogoro-kun noticing. That serious and lonely gaze remained burned into my sight, as though a photograph was placed close to your face and where ever you looked, you saw the same image.

" did you see that?! " I cried in a whisper. " Shin-chan's face! When she embraced him? He didn't return it right away, just after a heartbroken look. " I explained and Yuusaku's eyes widened.

" so that's what he meant by hell city, Tokyo. " Yuusaku sighed. " he doesn't think he's coming back soon. " he mused.

" Shin-chan will break up with Ran-chan. Sometime this week. Possibly tomorrow! " I buried my face into his chest and wet it with tears. " my poor baby! "

" no. " Yuusaku said. " not tomorrow, that's too soon. Its more likely it'll happen the next day. " he thought aloud.

" Shin-chan! " I cried harder.

' My poor Shinichi... ' I thought sadly, sobbing quietly into Yuusaku's chest. ' Who tried so hard to come back to his only true love and failed after being so close. He won't try again. I can tell. Shin-chan's not the type to try again if he's gonna drag her into a mess like this and make her break her own heart, waiting for him. The only girl that could be with him after the break up, would have to be someone who's already involved. Like Haibara-chan...' I mused to myself, blubbering ( quietly ) half of it to Yuusaku.

Ran came over. " Ano..? " she hesitated. I wiped my tears and looked at her. " what's wrong? "

I smiled. " remember that call I got in the bathroom while doing your makeup? " she nodded automatically.

" the one where you sounded so serious? " she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

" that's the one. " I nodded. " it looks like my friend's grave, Sharon Vineyard, has been grave robbed. " I explained sadly. " I just couldn't help but share the news with Yuusaku and start crying. Why can't Sharon rest in peace like everyone else? " I cried slightly and Shin-chan looked up at me, 'guilty' gracing his features. He was the one that mentioned that Sharon was after all... That ' Belmont' character. Yet, Shin-chan looked so heart broken, tears should've been spilling like a river if he was a girl.

Ran patted my back smiling softly. " if it's a grave robbery, then the police can handle that easily. " she cooed. " why don't we go and enjoy the dinner now? "

I sniffed once and nodded. " let's go guys! " I cheered weakly, heading for the door.

Shin-chan caught up to me and I immediately scooped him into my arms. He didn't protest but just let out a sigh that seemed to held back. " Gomen ne, Okaa-san. " he sighed. He wrapped his arms around my neck and grasped the back of my shirt tighter, shoving his face into the crook of my neck. " I just can't keep her waiting. It might be another four years before I get the antidote and my original body back. " he whispered, making sure his mouth was covered.

I nodded firmly. " when I get my hands on the bastards who took away Ran-chan from you..." I let the sentence drop as we all walked down into Poirot.

" you don't have to do anything. Just the fact that they're all in jail should be enough and that there won't be anymore victims of Apotoxin. " he said lifting his face up out of my neck and stretching to arms length away.

" you want me to put my cute little Conan-kun down? " I asked shocked. He nodded and looked at me with false pleading.

" Onee-sama! " he whined. " I can walk on my own! You aren't really gonna carry me five blocks to a diner?! I can walk! " he whined as he pried himself away.

" fine! " I huffed crossing my arms over my chest. " I'll go play with Eri-chan! " I said skipping away to Eri who was already bickering with Kogoro. As I skipped away, I admired a small key, which I pick-pocketed off of Shin-chan. Partly the reason why I let him off so easily, that and the fact that I didn't want to push too many buttons.

"Ran's" POV

I feel bad for taking this night away from Mouri-chan. But it's worth it if I want to spy on Tantei-kun. Gomen nasai! Watching Tantei-kun now makes me feel so heartbroken at the moment.

Tantei-kun was walking with an expression of desperation, sometimes glancing back at me, and quickly turning his gaze away. So it's about Mouri-chan, ka? It's so sad! Tantei-kun was walking with slumped shoulders and grasping his right arm, head bent down.

I caught up with him. " Conan-kun? " I asked kindly, taking his hand and peering down at him. " why do you look so sad? " I asked.

" Okaa-sama is sick in bed because of the baby. " he shook and portrayed the image of a scared child. " the doctors said she might not survive! " he wailed quietly, only for the two of us to hear.

" oh no! " I gasped. " is the baby sick too then? Or is it just your mother? "

" the baby seems fine, but they're noticing some weird changes in behavior. " he said quietly. " like she is advancing faster, clapping her hands, wailing only when no one's asleep. Stuff like that! " suddenly he said excitedly, " Hana-chan is really smart! "

" Hana-chan, ka? She must be like you! " I smiled as we reached the diner.

Suddenly, Mouri-Tantei came up behind me and I instinctively moved away. " Ran, why do you hang around this little brat so much? " he whined after punching Tantei-kun in the head. " Che! " he scoffed. " and people ask me how I don't see anything special enough in this brat like KID. "

Tantei-kun briefly glared at him before running into my arms and crying slightly. " Ite! Ran-neechan! Taskete! " he wailed before I stepped into the diner.

" Otou-san! " I scolded. " why can't you leave Conan-kun alone sometimes?! He's not your punching bag! "

" why do you always stick up for him?! I never see you on my side! " he complained crossing his arms over his chest as I set Tantei-kun down.

Tantei-kun raced over to the table where the Kudou family, minus one, were already sitting. Kisaki-oujou came up from behind Mouri-Tantei and scolded him for yelling at me and picking on Tantei-kun when we haven't even sat down at the table. I took the chance to creep away and sit with the Kudou parents and Tantei-kun.

Kudou-jii-chan was chuckling while discreetly mumbling something under his breath to Tantei-kun. I sat in an empty chair next to Yukiko-chan on the outside. Next to her, on her right, was Tantei-kun. Next to Tantei-kun was Kudou-jii-chan, then was Mouri-Tantei, and finally Kisaki-oujou. All of this seating was set up counter clockwise from me.

" Ran-neechan! " Tantei-kun waved a hand in my face. " Onee-sama said I need some one to go to the bathroom with. In this big restaurant, she said I could get lost. Will you come with me? " he said quickly pulling me up from my seat.

" a-ah! Okay! Conan-kun, I'm coming. " I said taking hold of his hand and walking with him.

" Arigatou, " he said excitedly pulling me away and to the bathrooms. " Ran-neechan..." He mumbled after when had gotten far from the table.

" hmmm? " I asked automatically. " what's wrong Conan-kun? Are you still worried this much about your mother? " I asked bending down slightly, I was just above his height. He looked up and nodded slowly.

" I dunno how I'll sleep tonight with a picture of a sick Okaa-san in bed all alone in a dark room in my head. " he mumbled. He looked up at me as we reached the toilets. His eyes brimming with tears.

And I fell for it. I smirked and crouched to his level before allowing him inside. " Is that an invitation, Tantei-kun? "

He blinked thrice before looking over my shoulder to make sure we had no eves droppers. A sly smirk appeared on his face too. " Gotcha. " he whispered before clamping a handcuff on my wrist.

He cuffed the leftover one to his own wrist. I stared, not knowing what to do. " Jottou! Tantei-kun! " I hissed panicking. " are you seriously catching me here?!" I looked around. " I can't get caught yet! " I yanked forcefully on the chain.

He looked shocked for a moment and then smiled. " relax, I'm not putting you behind bars. "

I froze, slipping my poker face off again and staring at him. Searching for any sign of lying was probably what I was doing, but I found trust in his words before I even looked at him. " e-eh? " I widened my eyes but bent my eyebrows downward. " why not?!"

" did I say I was gonna throw you in jail? " he asked, looking me in the eye. " I don't believe I did. " he said after a moments silence. " I just said I would catch you, and I did. " he smirked raising our cuffed hands in between us. " looks good doesn't it? "

I relaxed visibly and closed my eyes, smiling slightly. " and the famous Kaitou KID has been caught, by an eight year old boy, his beloved favorite critic. " I stated. " it should be in the newspaper. " I chuckled.

" I'll let you go this time. But I won't let you go after you've found what you're looking for. " he stated.

" how do you know I'm looking for something? " I asked automatically, slamming down my poker face. Thank Kami-sama it's still intact.

" there was a heist? The one with the slippers? " he tried to jog my memory.

I face palmed. " right, right! " I laughed. " the one where I returned them right after saying that they weren't what I was looking for. " I nodded. How could I forget my own heist?

" we should probably head back now. " he said searching himself for the key. " don't want them thinking we were gone too long. "

He kept searching himself as I looked over towards the table. " they should be fine for a while longer. I think they're glad we're gone! " I accused, watching them have fun and laugh.

" Oi Oi! " he suddenly hissed angrily. " Masaka! "

I turned to him, eyes wide in shock. " Tantei-kun.. " I laughed nervously. " this isn't a time for jokes..."

He sighed after pulling out his pockets for the fiftieth time. " sorry KID. Looks like I really... " he let the sentence drop.

" Shit! " I hissed inspecting at the handcuffs, for a chance of lock picking.

" no chance. " Tantei-kun stated as if he had read my mind. " this is another one of Hakase's inventions. They're made specifically for trapping lock pickers to whatever they're chained to. " he explained, pointing a finger to the lock. " each time the lock is tampered with, it releases an electric shock enough to knock the person out. Then as time passes, a gear in the lock shifts. This causes it to need a new method of lock picking, but you can still use the special key to it. " he sighed. He grinned weakly. " almost like the president's key in America. "

" suge!" I breathed looking at the handcuffs again. " they look ordinary to me! " I grinned at Tantei-kun. " if your Hakase and I ever teamed up, we would make the ultimate invention! "

He put on the face which I have dubbed as his 'Oi, Oi.. Face' . " I have a good way to explain these. " he said suddenly after dropping his 'Oi, Oi... Face ' . " let's go back now. " he said dragging me along.

" ow ow! " I cried in Mouri-chan's voice. " Conan-kun! That hurts! "

" Gomen ne! " he said slowing down. We walked up to the table and he suddenly whined again, grabbing the adults attention. " but Ran-neechan! " he wailed. " how are we ever gonna get the key for them?"

I sat next to him, since Yukiko-chan had moved over to sit in Tantei-kun's seat. My left hand was stuck to his right hand, so he sat next to Yukiko-chan.

" Oi! Gahki! " Mouri-Tantei stood up and bent over the table raising a fist in front of his face. " how the hell did you get Ran handcuffed to you? "

He looked anxious and with a pleading voice cried, " I found them in the bathroom, and after cleaning them, I went to show Ran-neechan. " he started. The table was silent awaiting for more of an explanation. " she clicked them onto herself thinking they were fake, and I tried to help her pull them off, but my fingers slipped and I flew back wards off the steps that lead up to the toilets. Ran-neechan thought quickly and saved me before I got hurt, but we fell off together. Even though she broke my fall, the handcuffs flipped all the way over and then clamped me too! " he whined. I nodded quickly.

" we've searched for the key all over the place. We even went to check the toilet floor, but it was nowhere to be found. " I shrugged. " at least it was a Unisex bathroom and we didn't have to wait until everyone in the men's bathroom left. " I sighed.

" we aren't gonna get these off for a while, Ran-neechan. " Tantei-kun sighed. I nodded in agreement.

" it shouldn't bother us now at least. As long as you eat with your left hand. " I thought. " can you do that, Conan-kun? " I asked looking down at him and smiling.

He nodded happily. " when we get home, we can just ask Mouri-Oji-san to break the chains of with a plier. "

" maka se kure! " he stood and pounded a clenched fist to his chest. " I, Mouri Kogoro, will get them out of those handcuffs! "

" oh! " Tantei-kun and I spirit yelled.

With that, we both ate dinner peacefully. Tantei-kun easily eating with his left hand as though it were his dominant hand. I peered quizzically at him. " ne? Conan-kun? Are you ambidextrous, by any chance? "

He happily ate a price of his western dessert and replied. " Yes but not originally. I'm actually left handed, but I learned how to write and do things with my right hand because of what happens when you write with a pen on paper as a lefty. " he replied casually.

" that's amazing! " I breathed. " so you mean that you don't like how a lefty smears the ink from a pen when they write left-to-right on paper? Isn't that because the pens we used to have were less advanced, and dried slower than the ones we have now? " I asked.

" yeah those are two good deductions. " he said. Then mouthed to himself, ' and if you knew what year that happened, then the mystery might be solved. '

I smirked slightly and said. " I can read lips, Conan-kun. " he looked up at me and smiled.

" that's good Ran-neechan. " he said finishing off his coffee cake. " it's a good skill to have when you're an old lady and can't hear too well. I should do that too. " he mused.

I looked around the table. "Satte . " I sighed standing up, and bringing Tantei-kun up with me. " we're gonna head back first since, Conan-kun needs to sleep if he wants to make his flight easily and not be tired tomorrow. " I stated.

" all right Ran. " Kisaki-oujo stood and I came over to her and hugged her, dragging Tantei-kun with me.

" see you next time Okaa-san! " I said happily breaking off the hug. " make sure you and dad don't bicker too much in your guest's presence. " I giggled nodding in the direction off the Kudou parents. " datte! " I whispered. " hazukashi na! " I whined slightly.

I turned to the Kudou family who was hugging Tantei-kun. " ja ne! My cute little- " she froze when she noticed several eyes on her. " grandpa's sister's uncle's cousin's brother's niece's grandson! " she giggled.

I gave her a confused look for a moment and added it to the clues of the mystery I was trying to solve. I hugged Kudou-Oji-san and then Yukiko-chan, who slipped something into my waist-dress pocket. ' examine later, don't let Tantei-kun know you have it. ' I reminded myself.

So Tantei-kun and I left the diner and walked back to the Detective Agency using ally ways to avoid being caught as 'suspicious characters' if a murder happened nearby.

" though I am surprised. " Tantei-kun shattered the comfortable silence between us. " no one dropped dead, like a fly in my aura of 'deadly gas' tonight. " he said it slightly darkly. " a warning from Kami-sama. " he mumbled shortly after.

" why is that a bad thing? " I half whined, and half shock-yelled. I looked at Tantei-kun with a very shocked expression full of confusion.

" I was planning on doing something during vacation in Europe. But that's not possible since my mother had Hana-chan and is sick, and even though it seems like a bad idea, I have to do it this time. " he explained.

" what do you have to do? " I asked looking at him as we passed through the final ally way in our route.

" I have to pass my father's test. " he whispered.

" test? " I asked as we climbed the stairs up to the Mouri household. " about what? "

" a detective's pride. Did you know? " he asked suddenly. " that I'm a descendant of Holmes' long lost younger brother? "

I whipped my head around to look at him. " seriously? " I asked. " you're lying. " I accused. And then slapped my free hand to my mouth at my accusation. " Shit! " I swore. " I never meant to pull that one off on you. I'm sorry, I know lying's a touchy subject to you. "

He waved a hand at the subject. " don't worry. The reason why no one knew was because Holmes was out on a trip around the world when my great great grandfather was born. Then, Holmes returned home but only for a week, as the parents hid him. once the week was up, Holmes left home permanently. The younger one, he witnessed something that he shouldn't have and had to join the old Witness Protection Program of back then. " he explained dragging me over to a coffee maker, brewing a batch enough for one person, and boiling milk on the stove again.

" wasn't Holmes a fiction character? " I asked suddenly.

He turned to me and smirked. " I was waiting for that question. " he replied. " Holmes was found out to be a real person but everything in the series is false except for the fact that he was a detective, lived near London, and had a friend who he shared an apartment with. " he explained.

" no way! " I breathed. " please start telling me that Arsene Lupin was real too, and I'll take that as code for a bugged house. " I said grinning.

Tantei-kun shook his head smiling and dragged me over to get his coffee and my hot cocoa. " so what is this test exactly? " I asked as we sat down and turned the TV on.

" Otou-san finds a case and we find out who figures it out first within the time limit and with the best trick. " he shook his head sadly. " unfortunately, I can't come up with the exact trick step by step like Otou-san can, so I lose. And he doesn't acknowledge me as a detective. Just some wannabe like Occ-chan when none of his important friends are involved. "

" what?! " I roared. " how could he?! " I stood up swinging Tantei-kun around with my arm. " I did not chose any detective wannabe! This is my favorite critic! The only one who has ever satisfied my hunger for a game of wits! And you call him a WANNABE?! Who the hell do you think you're offending when you say that?! " I ranted off as Tantei-kun waited for me to calm down and set him down.

" god KID. " he sighed when I finally relaxed. " I didn't know it connected that much to you. Maybe I should tell my dad that. " he said sarcastically.

" so... How are you gonna change out of that shirt and into pajamas? " I asked after a moments silence.

" what do you mean? " he asked after sipping his coffee. " Occ-chan's coming and going to ... " his face suddenly screwed up with realization. " SHIT! " he swore grabbing his head and placing his elbows on the table top. " he'll come back drunk! And waving around pliers at that time would be like suicide to us! " he pounded a fist on the table and I watched amused.

" Tantei-kun, you're eight, you shouldn't copy the adult language. " I chuckled.

He rolled his eyes and then went rigid with realization. " what are we going to do? " he whispered. " tomorrow morning, Occ-chan will probably have a hangover and his vision might become impaired by the migraine he'll get. "

" we both have school... " I mumbled.

After a pregnant pause, Tantei-kun jumped up. " what about the real, Ran? "

" no! " I wailed. " I can't let her see me like this! She'll faint from shock, and with her sleeping habits, she wouldn't wake up for a good amount of time! Two or three hours at most. After being unconscious, she'll probably slip into real sleep that she hasn't had in ages. " I popped his bubble of hope.

" how did you know about Ran's sleeping habits? " he asked. " do you want to add stalking to your list of broken laws? " he asked with his ' Oi Oi face' .

" I wasn't stalking. " I said calmly. " it's easy to see she hasn't slept correctly in ages, 'cause of how quickly she dropped after breathing in my new combination of sleeping gas and chloroform. " I explained. " one breath and dropping equals about 4.5 hours of sleep. She dropped after two. "

"So maybe four hours? " he asked changing his position to crossed legged.

" yeah, but she'll go into real sleep after, since her body needs it. " I said sighing.

" Ran... " he choked out quietly. It almost as if he was being strangled by a heart wrenching pain.

" what the hell did Mouri-chan do to earn that from you? " I asked.

" she became the only person who ever really cared for me. " he whispered. " well at least she was first. " he chuckled.

" so your parents don't..." I dropped the sentence when he nodded.

" my mom thinks of me as a cute little toy and not a person. While my dad thinks of me as his arch nemesis and not his son, so he doesn't care for me either. " he paused and then gave a sad laugh. " you know what is more frightening than the color black? "

I knew it was a retheorical question but it surprised me anyway. " black? " I asked. Why chose that specific word instead of darkness like everyone else?

He nodded. " Solitude. " he answered looking me straight in the eye. Those beautiful eyes that once held a calculating and piercing gaze, now showed what he was truly thinking. Nothing less from a master of Poker Faces like myself.

" Tantei-kun..." I stared into those sapphire eyes that seemed to reach my very soul and make it whimper. I took him into my lap, a habit I've seemed to develop, and he looked up at me.

He smiled like an innocent child. " naaani? " he asked drawing out the 'a' sound. " there's nothing for you to worry about except to get out of these handcuffs. I'm sorry I told you that story. " he sighed heartbrokenly.

" hm uum. " I shook my head slowly and smiled. " Arigatou, Tantei-kun. You've trusted me again with your secrets. " I said whipping out the same roses that I gave him last time. Then I murmured, " it's okay to cry sometimes, Tantei-kun. " he looked up at me in surprise. " Namida, they're beautiful. They mean you're a strong person, for holding your feelings inside for so long. "

He accepted the flowers with a small smile and stood, bringing me up with him. " these ones need water too. Or Ran-neechan will be mad that I'm not taking care of the flowers I get from my 'secret visitor'. He laughed slightly at his joke and dragged me over to the balcony window. Near the window, was a small table with a tall glass and the flowers I gave him last time. He added these ones into the vase and smiled.

" KID's vase of messages, ne? " he chuckled.

" The Language Of Flowers vase from KID. " I smiled as he looked up at me.

For a long time, we just stood there looking at the flowers, completely silent. I would've spoke, but I sensed something wrong with my critic. Suddenly, his expression saddened to pure agony and his eyes brimmed with tears. " ne. " he croaked. " can I sit in your lap again? " he asked.

I smiled and dragged him to a wall, where I sat cross legged and leaned my back against it. " of course. Tantei-kun. " I smiled pulling him into my lap once more.

" I'm sorry you have to see this..." He murmured, slowly taking off his glasses. tears were already flowing past his unsuspecting eyelids. " I can't believe I'm breaking down here. " he choked out, his face was screwed up past agony. It was even worse, mixed with dying love that won't truly die, pain of solitude, and relief for letting go of the other party.

His shoulders shook as he held back a few sobs and he nestled his face into my 'chest' . " Tanei-kun..." I whispered. " it'll be fine. I promise you'll be okay in the end. I'm here. There's no where for solitude to run except into one of my traps. " I chuckled quietly into his ear.

He was silent for a moment and his shoulders shook to a different rhythm. It was laughter! He pulled away laughing and smiling through tears. " that was the last thing I ever would've thought to prepare myself for. " he burst into fits of giggles and I smiled. I was satisfied with myself, for making my Tantei-kun feel better.

' Jottou! My? Since when has Tantei-kun become mine?' I ran through my previous thoughts while Tantei-kun calmed down. ' sure, I'd hate it if he suddenly ran for another thief during my heists . I'd also hate it if he took attention to someone's else's riddles when mine was on the table right in front of him. However, none of these really explain how he is mine. Is it because he's the only one who tries earnestly to meet me at our usual place? Or because he traps me in his calculating gaze whenever we meet? ' I sighed as I tried to understand my own thoughts.

Tantei-kun was searching and scanning my face for clues to my emotions, his calculating and trapping gaze returned and was on full drive. I froze and looked at him chuckling nervously. He looked a little less scary without his glasses, but the intensity of his gaze made up for that easily. " why are you looking at me like that? " I asked, paranoia sweeping over me.

He smiled softly. " as always, you slip on your poker face when you're in deep thought too. " he sighed. " I couldn't figure out a thing from that just now. " he looked back up at me and smiled, crawling out of my lap to sit next to me. " what the hell just came over me?! " he hissed shaking his head furiously. I stared at him making sure he was alright.

" ha? " I was so confused as my mind tried to supply me with a reason for that statement. " oh you mean when you..." I hesitated, not knowing if I should mention it. He was at his second most vulnerable state and I didn't think it would be kind to say anything.

He smiled rolling his eyes. " cried? " he finished for me. " damn it KID, you are diving me nuts. I'm seriously considering if I actually do have MPD that triggers when you and I are alone. " he huffed.

" doesn't sound bad to me..." I teased.

" w-wha? " his eyes widened considerably and his face flushed pink.

I laughed at him. " relax Tantei-kun. It's only teasing! I'm that type of person. " I explained.

He visibly relaxed and huffed. " yeah I for guess that out when you gave me a toothy maniac KID grin. " he rolled his eyes.

I slapped my free hand over my heart. " ouch! " I huffed. " Ite yo! Conan-kun! " I cried out in his voice.

" that's disturbing on so many levels, you wouldn't know. " he shuddered.

I laughed again and turned my mind to the main problem at hand. " so seriously, how are we going to change. I mean, I'll be okay since this dress is the strap-can-be-removed type and unzip. However..." I trailed off allowing him to continue.

" I won't be able to change out of this shirt unless I rip it off. Which I am unwilling to do since its my favorite blouse. At least I took off the jean jacket at the diner. " he sighed. " I can easily change my pants to shorts but I think I look pretty cool like this. " he smirked playfully.

" un! Really sexy! " I said happily. He froze again and scrambled to recover quickly.

" you are now in the teasing stage. " he stated. " my guess is that you are someone who's a huge trouble maker in your public life, enough that you give people headaches. " he deduced. " with that level of shamelessness, you must be some one who tends to prank people as practice for your heist traps. " he continued, struggling to keep his rosy blush from over taking him once more.

I googled at him. " saa suga Tantei-kun! " I stared as he struck a pose that gave off his usual confident air. His shoulders were slacked with his hands in his pockets, and he smirked slyly, feet together. Of course my hand was ruining the image by being chained to his, but he looked cool anyway. " nice cover up for your reaction. " I smiled brightly, slightly smirking.

" of course! No regular teasing idiot would go around calling people of the same gender s-sexy! " he stuttered, his blush creeping onto his face again.

" I'm straight Tantei-kun, if that's what you're worried about. " I said calmly and then smirked. " looks like in the terms of love, you're pretty dense and way to easy to tease. "

" warugatta na. " he mumbled. " Betsu ni that I'm worried if you're straight or not. " he mumbled, he rubbed his palms together, shifting uncomfortably under my stare.

I laughed a him. " Tantei-kun you're so kind hearted and considerate! I envy the girl who'll end up with you. "

He snorted. " as if! " he murmured. " not gonna happen ever again. " he murmured to himself.

" that's a good clue. " I mused aloud, and his head whipped towards me.

" a-ah. " he sighed. " you heard that? " he looked over at me wistfully. I nodded. " you should stop your investigation soon. " he said quietly. " if you get any closer to the truth, you'll never be able to escape it's catch. " he looked at me once more and smiled sadly. " not knowing what was inside Pandora's box was what made her open it. However, once you know what's inside, it's not interesting anymore. " he quoted me cheekily from the time we were in that booby trapped house. I ignored it and switched to something else instead.

I pieced together my information so far, and gasped. " you! "

He looked at me, anxiety completely filling his eyes. " don't say it..." They seemed to beg me .

" you must be immortal! " My face grew into a look of realization and Tantei-kun's remained frozen in place of his poker face. " but as the years pass by, you shrink more and more, until you're a baby, and disappear forever, a nonexistent being. " I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest and smiling confidently.

" that was..." He started after a moment of silence. " a deduction almost as stupid as Occ-chan's. " he stated.

" blunt aren't we? " I pouted, puffing my cheeks out.

He shuddered. " don't do that with Ran's face. "

" oh I'm sorry! " I exclaimed. " I forgot about this face. " I laughed. " That Kudou-Tantei geek's mom is pretty good with disguises. "

" na-Nani? " he choked. " she helped you disguise? " he looked utterly bewildered but quickly recovered. " that's a famous actress for you. " he huffed. " knows exactly when some one's acting and see through them like glass. "

" Yukiko-chan is my most favorite makeup artist now, right behind my mother. " I nodded. After a slight pause I said thoughtfully, " who would you like me to disguise as right now? " I smiled at his unsurprised look. " Hattori? Or maybe Kudou-Oji-san? " I suggested.

" would you hate me if I asked you to disguise as Kudou Shinichi for once? " he mumbled shrinking bashfully to the wall and looking up at me pleadingly.

" Meitantei-san? " I asked confused. " why? "

A look if panic flashed across his face for a moment as he seemed to scramble for an excuse. Finally he sighed. " I think of Kudou Shinichi as myself. " he said finally. " because we are so alike, I want to grow up to be like him. I took a picture with a product once that supposedly sped up the age features of a person by ten years. " he explained.

" those are fake man. " I laughed. " unless, you got into those big ones in a huge corporation or something. "

He looked at me and nodded. " well, it 'error' ed and the machine explained it to be because my picture would match with the identity of someone else perfectly, so to try again. When I got to a private computer room, I accessed the program and it showed me Kudou Shinichi as Conan Edogawa in ten years. "

I let out a whistle as I wiped my face down with a rag and Tantei-kun closed his eyes to allow me some privacy and to conceal my identity for a while longer. " that's a shock. " I said. " that my Tantei-kun will grow up to be Meitantei-san. "

" stop teasing me KID. " he said seriously after a moment and blushed slightly.

" e-eh? " I asked. " I don't see where I was teasing you just now. " I murmured, easily setting in contacts and setting my hair to Meitantei-san's.

I tapped his shoulder to let him know I finished, noticing a huge blush covering his cheeks. He opened his eyes and almost jumped in shock. He recovered as he remembered what he asked and then the blush returned again. It was actually quite cute! " a-ah... " he struggled for words.

" be a man and spit it out, Tantei-kun. " I smirked.

" ' my Tantei-kun' ? " he quoted out loud after a moment. " I never remembered becoming yours. " he said recovering.

" I said ' my ' because you are the only Tantei-kun I have. Also because I'm sure you wouldn't allow anyone else to call you that. Finally because I would hate it if you ran after another thief. I don't want you to leave my grasp, ever. " I said seriously and he stared in bewilderment.

He smiled and held out his pinky finger. " yaksoku? " he asked. " I promise I won't go after another thief when I have you to chase... " he hesitated before leaning in close to my face, bangs brushing mine, and breath splashing over my face. He said in his lowest and most husky voice while smirking, " but on one condition. " I felt my breath hitch and my cheeks warm. " you can't have another 'Tantei-kun' besides me without my permission. And besides everyone who you already have. "

He backed away smirking slyly, still confident in his act. I felt the blood rush to my ears and to my cheeks, and the only action I could respond with was a weak, pathetic, and quick nod. My heart hammered in my chest in a sure rhythm. I lifted my pinky finger and wrapped it around his ready and small one.

" KID, I was just teasing. " he said laughing after seeing my face.

" I-I know that! " I scrambled for a good excuse. " who would've thought Tantei-kun was such a player? " I smirked wiggling my eyebrows. He blushed a bit as he looked down at the suddenly interesting floor, biting his lip.

Immediately, I put my middle finger and ring finger of my free hand to his bottom lip that was being chewed. He jumped back as far as he could with the handcuffs. " wha-what are you doing?" He stuttered, that beautiful blush creeping its way onto his face again.

" don't bite your lips Tantei-kun. They're mine. " I said seriously.

He licked his bottom lip skillfully and smirked I gaped slightly at the action. " pedophile" he stated.

I shifted into a well fabricated shocked look, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. "I'm no pedophile! "

" not yet at least. " he smirked.

I sighed. " okay, okay. " I looked at him and smiled slightly. " you win this time. " he grinned triumphantly. " we should change now. " I said after a moments thought and getting up. " I don think we should have Kudou Shinichi in a dress, people might think he was cross dressing. Or gay. "

He nodded. " I guess so, I need to sleep or I'll be dog tired on the plane tomorrow. " he commented before going a slight yawn.

I went rigid with realization. " damn it Tantei-kun." I hissed before punching the wall. " where the hell are you going to sleep?! With me handcuffed to you? "

I looked down at him, and surprisingly, his face was bored. " we could always go to 'your' house. " he announced making air quotes. " I can say that I'm going to Hakase's on the phone to Occ-chan, and tell him we found the key. " he smiled up at me. " then I could say Ran was sleeping in her room, and as long as I take some clothes, I can leave. "

" right, that works. " I sighed with relief. " wait, what if he asks where we got the key? "

He thought for a moment. " we could say they were fake after all and there was an emergency safety lock for kids. "

" perfect. We should go and check on Mouri-chan, and then make the call. " I said nodding.

" is Ran in her room? " he asked surprised.

" she's been there since she went to 'get ready' for the dinner. " I grinned down at him as we peered into the room to find Mouri-chan sleeping peacefully. " leave a note for her though. "

He nodded and pulled out his cell phone. His eyes widened when he pulled it out and stared at the screen. Looking up at me once, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and pulled out a second one from the other side.

I pretended not to notice and just fiddled with the door knob for a moment before turning to Tantei-kun and smiled as he spoke to Mouri-Tantei and explained the situation. He whined a bit before flipping the phone down and shoving it back into it's pocket.

" now that's out of the way, we go and stop by Hakase's. " he stated as he dragged me into the room where he slept. He began shoving things into a duffel bag and I laughed.

" a duffel bag? " I questioned.

" Ran bought it! " he snapped before zipping it closed.

" a le le? " I said in his voice, he jumped slightly before looking at me annoyed.

" and now I know how Occ-chan feels when I say that. " he pursed his lips slightly and looked at me completely annoyed with m talent.

" why are you packing so little for a two week trip? " I asked confused since the duffel bag itself was small.

He shrugged. " I'm with Yukiko-oneesan, so she'll end up buying me more clothes than I can carry at every city we stop at. "

" then how are they coming back with you? " I probed.

He smirked. " curious aren't we? " he sighed before answering, " they tend to be ordered clothing that'll arrive here by mail or shipping. " he explained pulling out his cell phone once more.

I nodded with an 'o' face and helped him off the floor where he was kneeled. " who are you calling now? "

" Hakase. " he said calmly. " so we can pick up a key to the house. "

" ahh! Shinichi! " Hakase's quiet voice called from the phone. I looked at him confused as he looked at me nervously.

" ah! Jigao, this is Conan-kun! " he chirped happily yet slightly frantic. " I need the key to Shinichi-niichan's house for an emergency which I'll explain when I get there. Can you get the key ready? I'll be there in ten minutes. " he said.

I couldn't hear much of the conversation until Hakase was switched to a Haibara, which I believe was a strange girl in the Shounen Tantei-Dan.

" ne?! You aren't caught are you?! You aren't with them and being asked to lure Hakase and I out right?! " she yelled.

" BAROO. I'm guessing you've been staying up too late again if you're so jumpy now. Relax Haibara. Everything will be explained when I get there in ten minutes. " he said calmly, hanging up before she could respond.

I sighed before turning around and bending to Tantei-kun, my back towards him. I smirked as I asked in Mouri-chan's voice, " ne, Conan-kun, can you unbutton me? "

As Tantei-kun was looking at his phone, he jumped in surprise and that wonderful and glowing blush returned to his face once more. " KID! " he wailed. " that's not funny! " he pouted.

I turned my head slightly and looked at him again. " I'm kidding! I'm Kudou Shinichi at the moment, yet I'm wearing a woman's clothing. Sounds stupid right? So help me unbutton this damn it! I can't reach that far back for the amount of time it takes to unbutton this. The blood rushes away from my arms and they pulse uncomfortably afterwards. " I complained, scooting a little closer to him.

He sighed a bit before reaching to unbutton the dress with a clasp on the inside. " do something like that again and I won't hesitate in feeding you to Haibara. " he mumbled, yanking on the top of the dress lightly.

" feed me to Haibara? " I asked confused. " what would she do to me? " I asked as he finally got the stuck first button undone.

" She'd use you in an experiment until you die from giving her blood samples from your body. " he answered in a tone meant for scary stories.

Finally, he started on the fourth button down and Tantei-kun's fingers brushed my skin. My breath hitched. " damn Tantei-kun. " I said. " what did you do? Hold a block of ice before touching my skin? Your fingers are freezing and making my skin tingle! " I whined slightly as a shudder of sheer pleasure ran through my back. I was sure Tantei-kun felt it to since his fingers brushed my middle back at that moment.

He stopped for a moment in thought. " I don't know. " he sighed. " my hands are lately getting so cold to the point were a nerve in my left hand might freeze a bit, so I have to exercise it. Could come soon if it felt like a block of ice. " he commented shrugging slightly.

Conan's POV

I stared at my cell pone screen for a moment deep in thought about how Haibara would react to another 'Kudou-kun' .

Suddenly, I was just slightly aware of it, but KID bent down and put his back towards me. I didn't snap out of my stupor until he asked in Ran's voice, " ne, Conan-kun? Can you unbutton me?"

I jumped in surprise and felt an annoying blush race to my cheeks and make them glow. " KID! " I wailed. " that's not funny! " I puffed my cheeks out in an attempt to lose the blush, but to him, it must've seemed like a pout.

He turned his head slightly and looked at me again. " I'm kidding! I'm Kudou Shinichi at the moment, yet I'm wearing a woman's clothing. Sounds stupid right? So help me unbutton this damn it! I can't reach that far back for the amount of time it takes to unbutton this. The blood rushes away from my arms and they pulse uncomfortably afterwards. " he complained, scooting a little closer to me.

I felt my heart pound hard like a sledgehammer and my breath hitched. KID, was scooting closer to me willingly, and asking me to unbutton him. My head spun as my seventeen year old self got excited. ' stop! ' I commanded myself. ' you're eight a the moment! What could you possibly do in this form?!' I froze and sighed. ' what would I do even without this form? I am a guy! ' I stated to myself seriously and firmly.

I reached to unbutton the dress with a clasp on the inside. " do something like that again and I won't hesitate in feeding you to Haibara. " I mumbled, attempting to get away from my thoughts, and yanking on the top of the dress lightly.

" feed me to Haibara? " he asked confused. " what would she do to me? " He asked as I finally got the first and stuck button undone.

" She'd use you in an experiment until you die from giving her blood samples from your body. " I answered in a tone meant for scary stories, but meant it seriously. I remembered fainting once from too many blood samples and no orange juice or something with vitamin c inside the house.

Finally, I started on the fourth button down and my fingers brushed his skin. My breath hitched. His back, as much as I could see, was shrewd with flexible muscles that weren't the type from a body builder. More like the fat skin on him burned away and you could slightly see his muscles through it. He was toned.

" damn Tantei-kun. " He said. " what did you do? Hold a block of ice before touching my skin? Your fingers are freezing and making my skin tingle! " He whined slightly as a shudder ran through his back, and he released a small and long 'gyu!' sound of pleasure.

I stopped for a moment in thought. " I don't know. " i sighed. " my hands are lately getting so cold to the point were a nerve in my left hand might freeze a bit, so I have to exercise it. Could come soon if it felt like a block of ice. " I commented shrugging slightly as though there was nothing to the matter.

I set my knuckles on his back as I tried to get the final and toughest button undone. " the clasp would be at the top of the dress, it's the type you see on a woman's bra. " he said easily.

I froze for a moment. "B-bra? " I stuttered, ripping off the button. " that would make sense for a dress since its simple and effective. " I said escaping his look of curiosity. " since a woman would know how to work it, no one can sit for fifteen minutes in the dressing room and figure it out. "

" yeah that's true. " he said as I unclasped the stupid thing and he stood.

He shrugged off the dress and I felt my cheeks burn slightly. Trying to hide it, I slipped off the dress pants I was wearing and I heard a slight gasp from KID. Looking at him, I saw his intense gaze on me, freezing me in place. I tried to calculate what he was thinking but failed as I moved robotically to change into my jean pants after tearing my eyes away from his physique.

I grabbed an extra hoodie as KID took some clothing from the back of Occ-chan's closet. This was hard since we were handcuffed, but we made it. KID also found a plain white blouse identical to mine and changed into some pants that he had with him. Though I didn't know where he could've possibly placed them.

" Should we go now? " I asked once he was ready. " my question is how you got the shirt on when handcuffed to me. " I said as we left the room, my duffel bag in hand.

" a magician never reveals his secrets. " he said, winking and placing one of his index fingers to his lips with a smirk.

" thought as much. " I said bluntly as I ripped a 'memo' paper off a notebook full of them and scribbled my note with my left and free hand. " shit! " I swore as I dropped the pen, my hand froze again. This time though was different, I couldn't move it! At all, unlike last time. I quickly scrambled for something to raise my body heat fast and without causing trouble.

" ... Antei-kun? Oi! Tantei-kun! " suddenly KID bent to my height. " Conan Edogawa! I'm trying to talk to you! " he yelled snapping me out of my stupor.

I laughed nervously. " sorry! " I left my eyes on the paper, now in my cuffed right hand. " I just was thinking for a moment there. " I set the note on the table, dragging KID's hand along too.

His eyes narrowed with calculating suspicion. " whatever you say, Tantei-kun. It doesn't look like you want to tell me anyway. " he shrugged.

I shook my head quickly. " it's not important. " I left my left hand and arm firmly at my side, hoping for Haibara to help me figure out what was so wrong with it.

I smirked before I bit my lip again as my plan and watched him. Again, he set his middle finger and ring finger of his right hand on my lip. He shook his head and I felt my heart rate run wild and my cheeks burn. " what did I say? " he said quite sternly. " mine. " he said possessively.

Suddenly, the feeling in my hand returned and I gasped with happiness, smashing my small body on KID's and wrapping my arms around his waist as much as I could without hurting him. " Arigatou! KID! " I chirped happily.

" uhhhh... Your welcome? " he hugged back, uncertain about my actions.

After pulling away, I flexed my left hand and exercised it happily, dragging KID out if the apartment after closing the lights. I fiddled around my dark colored jean pockets, which matched pretty damn well with my shirt if I do say so myself, for the keys to lock the apartment. Finding them, I locked up with my left hand, moving it as much and as exaggerated as possible without alerting KID. Even though I was sure he would notice, I didn't want him to worry about something that wasn't big as long as he was around.

Together we walked away and to Hakase's house, the walk was silent and we got there in the ten minutes I expected but just five long minutes added from changing and getting everything else ready. I pushed the gate open after staring at my home for a moment and walked down the sidewalk to Hakase's door. Before I even opened it, it flung open and I was pulled inside. Which in turn resulted in KID being 'flung' into the house.

" You. Are. Late! " an angry voice gritted out. " by five minutes, Edogawa-kun! " Haibara cried after noticing 'Kudou Shinichi', her attitude changing. " you had me worried for a moment there. "

She dragged me into the house's living room. " Hakase! " she called slightly quietly. She scanned the room. " he must be in the lab. " she mumbled before pushing me onto the couch. " in the mean time, get your story straight so he doesn't have a heart attack from seeing you, KID-san. " she smiled and winked before leaving the room, a very surprised KID was left gaping after her.

He looked at me, " how did she know I wasn't that Kudou-Tantei geek?! " he wined. " my disguise is perfect. " he pouted crossing his arms over his chest.

" this household contains only people who know where Shinichi-niisan is hiding. Luckily, they hide their trail pretty good and remain in the dark to be unseen, so this house isn't bugged. Though its happened before. You can talk freely here. " I explained watching his expression.

Suddenly, Haibara's voice was sounding through the vents. " Hakase! " she squealed. " he bought his boyfriend with him this time! KID is here! Watch it turn out to be interesting..." She smirked as she entered the room.

" now I remember you! " KID said suddenly. " I meet you for the first time over on the trapped house's rooftop. You said..." He cleared his throat and I rolled my eyes. I made an 'x' with my forearms and shook my head frantically, but he ignored it. " ' my my, what a kind hearted thief we have. ' " KID said in Haibara's monotone voice.

Haibara's face slipped into a look of annoyance as she smirked bitterly. " yes, KID-kun. That was me. " she said. " so why are you here? " she asked pointedly ignoring KID for the time being.

I sighed pulling up our handcuffed hands. " I handcuffed him to myself and lost the key. He came and crashed my dinner as Ran and I got him to confess. " KID screwed up his face at this, very upset.

" as a gentlemen, you shouldn't make kids ready to cry. " he said as an excuse.

" so we went back to the agency as Ran and Conan. So now we're here to borrow the key so we can crash at Shinichi-niisan's place and get the spare key from the attic box tomorrow morning. " I said.

" spare key? " KID asked. " didn't you say there wasn't one? "

" if I did, I was lying. " I stated calmly, watching Haibara's 'suppressing laughter right now ' look. " Haibara..." I sighed annoyed. " if you're gonna laugh, do it now and get it out of your system. "

Without hesitation, Haibara's real laughter bounced off the walls of the room. " detective and thief, stuck together by handcuffs. Hakase, don't you think it's the most fitting thing for them? " she laughed.

Hakase glanced at us and I smiled, encouraging him to laugh with her. " it works really well! " he laughed too. " now no one can run too far away. Conan-kun has been missing your riddles and chases, KID-san. " Hakase's eyes gleamed with excitement and I sank farther into the sofa as KID glanced at me.

" well than, I guess I should invite you to my heists more often. " KID laughed lightly, I could tell there was a faint blush of embarrassment on my cheeks.

" seriously, though. Thank you. " Haibara said after watching me. " no one really provides a challenge for him besides Hattori Heiji-kun, you, and his father, so he runs out and finds criminals to match wits with. It's too bad he's actually a good enough detective that surpasses them, so they're never really a challenge. " she sighed. She nodded to Hakase, who went to get the key. " at least he's staying out of trouble. "

I looked a her in annoyance and laughed a little. " Oi Oi. I said.

" we'll I need a new blood sample. " she sighed. " to make sure nothing happens for that. " I nodded firmly and she went off to get some supplies.

" that? " he asked, looking at me with a questioning look in his eye.

I looked at him with my poker face intact and smiled confidently, putting my left index finger to my lips while doing it. " NEED NOT TO KNOW. " I stated in an al let laughing yet deadly tone.

His eyes widened and he nodded weakly. " it's that bad? " he whispered, pulling my close to himself as if to protect me.

I smiled softly and closed my eyes. " looks like it. " I said. " if you don't want to open Pandora's Box of evil and unhappiness, don't probe any farther. " I said as made a pantomime of a box in my lap and opening it, only to make a horror stricken face combined with shock.

Haibara mumbled an " awwwww" when she walked in and sat in front of me in a computer chair. " give me your left arm. " she directed. I did as I was told as I ran through something in my mind.

" ne. Is it possible to affect the nerves of a hand after usually drawing a lot of blood from it? " I asked seriously.

She thought for a moment. " I believe so. " she said after removing the needle in my arm and inspecting my blood through light. She gave a short and low whistle. " what the hell has happened here? " she mumbled staring into it. " Hakase! " she called. " can you bring a microscope too?"

" okay! " was the faint reply, and Hakase ran into the room with the key. " I tumbled at the bottom of the stairs and gave myself a good scare. So sorry for taking long. " he said as he handed Haibara the microscope and the key to me.

" so what's up with Tantei-kun's blood? " KID asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

" nothing, really. " she sighed after turning around. " you're just suffering from not getting enough vitamin c. Give me your left hand. " she explained and commanded.

I did as I was told and she poked at my hand a little, testing results. " drink lots of juice, eat lots of protein, if you want to be okay tomorrow. " she said.

Tantei-kun nodded and then glanced at me. " there'll be plenty of juice and stuff on the plane. I guess I'll just have eggs or something for the protein. " I shrugged rubbing my arm a little. " shall we go now? "

KID nodded and poof-ed a small flower for Haibara. " for the miss who takes care of my Tantei-kun so effectively. "

Haibara was a little shocked at first, but excepted the flowers smirking. " he's in your hands now KID-kun. Don't do anything naughty to my test subject yet. "

I went wide eyed for a moment and KID smirked, though I didn't have a clear view of his face. " oh pooh. " he sighed snapping a finger. " there goes my plans. " he looked at me and left a hand on my head. " I guess I'll have to restrain myself. " he smiled slightly down at me and I looked up at him.

I was so confused. What the hell are they talking about? Haibara snickered. " KID-kun, there's something you should know about Edogawa-kun. " she snickered a bit more.

I looked at her a bit shocked. " about me? "

She nodded and smirked. " you won't get anything out of him yet. Too dense. " she said tapping a temple. " now hurry up and get out before I'm tempted to draw more blood.

KID grinned happily. " Arigatou, scientist-ojou-san. "

Haibara smiled slightly. " ja ne. " she turned to me and mumbled. " don't bring him tomorrow. Get these off before four o'clock, if you want to see him alive next time. " the tone was dark and I smiled a bit.

I set my free hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. She scowled a bit a the action but accepted it. " don't worry Haibara. " I said in normal dynamic. " I won't allow myself to be injured before tomorrow. "

" whatever you say. " she said in her usual monotone. " saa saku, haiyaku. Get out. " she shoved us out and I barely yelled back. " thanks Hakase! See you tomorrow! "

As we walked out of the gates KID asked. " do you usually stop by here right before leaving? "

I nodded. " at first I was in the custody of the Hakase, so he's the person in main charge of me. I usually stop by here to finalize stuff with him and hang around until we have to leave. " I lied smoothly as we approached my house. When we stood in front of the gates, I let out a brief and longing sigh. Searching for any reporters, I made sure nothing happened to KID about them. " watch out for reporters. " I mumbled. " you'll be tackled. "

He gave a brief nod as he scanned the perimeter with his eyes. " no one's here Tantei-kun. " he said after a moment. " we are safe to enter without being seen. "

" Just a moment. " I said as I dragged him to the right side of the house. On the cement floor, I opened a small, rectangular trap door. Not even large enough to hold a baby, it was just where we stored the water pipes.

I fished out my Shounen-Tantei-Dan notebook and flipped to a few pages in the back. " what are we doing? " KID asked, crouching beside me.

" I'm checking the water levels and the gas meters to see if anyone has been inside the house. Looks like I had an uninvited guest. " I answered comparing the numbers. " but it seems like they've only been here for a while since the numbers haven't changed too far. Possibly three or four hours. "

" why would some one he in this guy's house? " he asked as I closed the small opening and led him back to the front door of the house.

" some one could be searching for something. " I replied automatically. I laughed nervously with realization. " at least, that's what a TV program said and what Shinichi-niisan said to watch out for. "

KID 'hmmmm'ed as I fumbled with the key and unlocked the door. The heavy wooden door groaned in protest as we pushed it open and walked inside silently.

The moment my foot hit the wood of the house, I was swept over with remembrance. I gave a happy sigh as I walked around dragging KID along with me. However as I trudged through the house, I grew angrier with every room. As we finally reached my room, I walked in and shut the blinds, keeping the moonlight out and our light in.

I sat on the set and crossed my legs, my elbows were on my knees, and my finger tips were pressed together. I was deep in thought, and I guess KID could tell since he didn't interrupt me. I scanned the room with an intense gaze, not missing a single detail.

As scowl etched on my face as I finally said out loud. " someone's been searching my-" I stopped abruptly and shook my head a bit after seeing KID. " I mean, this room repeatedly. And a lot. " I deduced.

" lack of dust, clean air, changed gas and water meters, cleaned floors, and toilet paper in bathroom almost empty when the last time I checked, it had new toilet paper. " KID rattled off several things he noticed.

" you've been here?! " I asked confused and scared at his antics. " why?!" I breathed.

" when that Kudou-Tantei geek revealed my trick at the clock tower, I decided to do a bit of research. All I did was get a look at his life style. I didn't touch anything really. Basically, I opened the fridge, looked at the library, and here. I went to the toilet to investigate how many people were in the house and to see if that matched with the number of people from the fridge. " he explained. " this guy just upped and left off the face of the earth. " he whistled after siting beside me on the bed.

" yeah, went on a date that led to an emergency case and never came back. At least, not yet. " I sighed putting my head in my hands.

" it looks like he'll be back soon though. " KID stated as I looked up at him in bewilderment, he looked down at me and smiled. " if people are still searching his house, then he's coming back."

" half of the stuff messed up are because of Ran always cleaning here. " I pointed out. " I would say the other guys are pros at their job. " I shivered slightly at the idea.

What if it was those Men in Black? What if they are trying to find out if Kudou Shinichi is still alive, and that Miyano Shiho lied to them and faked the information?

" I say we crash in here. " KID said happily. " we should wake up before noon. Then eat breakfast, and get these off so I can leave to prepare a bit more for my heist and you can get to your plane. "

" all of this needs to happen before two tomorrow afternoon. " I said suddenly. " Hattori's coming for a visit and meeting me here before I have to take off. " I looked at him. " at least I don't have to pick him up and he'll know to come here. "

KID nodded. " I hope the food hasn't rotted here yet. " he yawned tiredly as he lied down on the bed.

" if you want KID, you can put on Shinichi-niisan's pajamas. As long as we wash them afterwards, he shouldn't know... " I said a bit timidly.

" ah! Good idea! " he jumped up and I flew up with him. " where does he keep his pajamas? " he turned to me after a moment of thought.

" a-ah. " I hesitated at his expression. " bottom drawer in the dresser. " I said walking over and pulling a pair of my least used pajamas. At least they would fit him. I threw the things over to him and pointedly shut my eyes. " so I won't know the trick to putting on a shirt with handcuffs on. " I explained and he gave a brief and airy laugh.

I stood more still than a statue, not wanting to crash into anything. The only things that moved were my involuntary muscles, KID pulling my hand, and my chest for breathing. After a moment, KID tapped my shoulder. I jumped slightly seeing as I wasn't prepared for the sudden touch.

" all set, Tantei-kun. " he said and I opened my eyes to see... I guess a mirror image of myself grinning. I released a sigh and dragged him back to the bed.

" my god. The world has something against me I know it. " I huffed. " I'm sleeping together with a thief. " I groaned and KID flopped onto the bed grinning.

" maa maa. " he smiled. " just think of it as a slumber party! " he laughed and I groaned more, turning my back to him and facing the room.

KID clicked his tongue. " now Tantei-kun. " he said in a warning tone. I froze and braced myself for whatever was coming. " turning away like that names me reach over there, since I'm behind you. Do you want me to embrace you from behind in your sleep? How are we supposed to talk if you can't see me? " he whined. I turned over with a huff and our imprisoned hands lied innocently between us. KID was grinning wildly and I rolled my eyes.

" this okay now? " I asked. Sleepily, I allowed my eyes to close with a yawn. Suddenly, an arm snaked around my waist and pulled me close. My eyes snapped open and I felt my cheeks warm considerably. " what are you doing?! " I asked searching an innocent stare.

" Hugging you. " he said bluntly. " I usually have a teddy bear to sleep with and it looks like you're gonna have to substitute for him. " he grinned putting his forehead against mine. " make sure you protect me from bad dreams teddy weddy! " he said childishly.

My heart beat was running a mile a minute, my face was... Hot! And my breath came out shakily. I don't like this feeling, it's so uncomfortable, yet addicting. It rushed through my veins and when it reached my heart, it blew up in fireworks. I shook slightly. Why was there something like this? Something so powerful and addicting, my seventeen year old and hormonal self begged for the feeling. For more of it. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed deeply and slowly, attempting to calm myself down.

" ne KID? " I asked suddenly.

His forehead was still on mine and for a moment, I thought he had fallen asleep. Until he opened the 'mirror image' eye color of Kudou Shinichi slowly and half lidded with a small smile. I gasped slightly as my heart skipped a beat. " Nani?" He asked quietly.

" ano..." I hesitated. I looked at his hair pointedly. " they're tickling my face. " I said before making a face and lying on my back. However, KID wouldn't allow it as he pulled me close so that my shoulder was brushing his chest.

I huffed annoyed, so I placed my free hand behind my head and stared at the ceiling. I was self-conscious ant the moment and, even through it was petty, I made myself look cool. I accomplished this by bending one of my legs and scooting my glasses down to the tip of my nose.

I watched KID discreetly from the from the corner of my eyes, happy to find him sleeping peacefully. To pass time, I played with my glasses a bit, revealing the antenna, or putting them on and finding several red dots from Hakase's house. " This means that our Tantei badges are being repaired. " I mumbled under my breath. In the near silent room, it sounded like someone was speaking in normal dynamic.

I pulled out my Shounen-Tantei badge and fiddled with it. Pulling out its antenna or changing the station it was connected to. I was so restless. I mean, come on! I was sleeping with the most internationally wanted thief of all time! And he was handcuffed to me! My 'arrogant detective' instincts were screaming at me to call the police and hold him until they arrive. Then pull of his mask to reveal the true face or KID. However, my ' developed detective ' instincts asked my to wait it out, that I could become closer to KID. Possibly, we could become best friends and trust each other with our identities.

" or more than friends..." I breathed, setting the glasses down and putting the badge away. I sighed quietly before turning my body to huddle into KID's again. It was there I fell asleep, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart, lulling me to sleep. It was a heartbeat so different from my racing one, yet allowed my to sleep so peacefully in sync with him.

Next Morning

Kudou household

11:36 pm

only 3 hrs and 24 mins left until Hattori's arrival

Conan's POV

I awoke to the smiling face of KID in my line of sight. ' angel' I thought immediately. ' wait, what? ' I asked.

" Kudou Shinichi?! " I asked shocked. No way! I'm the real Kudou!

" ohaiyo to you too, boku no Nemuri no Tenshi- Tantei. " he smiled before I realized what he said.

" ha? " I asked rubbing my eyes. " Nemuri no Tenshi? " I asked suddenly slapping my hands around my cheeks. " my glasses! " I said in a gasp and hiss. I panicked until I found them next to my pillow. I slipped them on to find KID looking at me strangely. " what about a sleeping angel? " I asked, he snickered behind his free hand.

" Tantei-kun, do you need a morning boost? " he asked with a gleaming eye smirking a his joke.

I barely processed what he said before getting off of the bed and dragging him off with me. I was shocked and looked at the handcuffs between us. I looked at KID displeased. " what the hell happened here?! " I demanded pointing my right index finger at the guilty item.

" woah..." He crouched down to my height, looking me in the eye and searching my face. I backed up a bit uncertain at the action and felt my cheeks warm at his closeness. " you need to wake up Tantei-kun. " he announced. " you're the one that did this. "

" I can't remember anything unless I have about three cups of coffee. " I explained. " but you would know that Shinichi-niisan. " I smiled. I paused, " Jottou, Tantei-kun? " I turned back to him once we reached the end of the hall. " Only KID is allowed to call me that. " I twitched displeased at this fake's antics.

" glad to hear that you've protected my nickname for you. " he smirked. " Tantei-kun~! "

" KID? " I squinted my eyes at him accusingly. Suddenly I froze and a breath stopped in my throat. I could barely shake out a choking, " Belmont? What do you want? Why are you here? You promised to leave Haibara alone! " I hissed. " she's not your 'Sherry' anymore! " I growled.

" woah! Calm down Tantei-kun! " the fake started. " Belmont? Sherry? " he asked, confusion in his face. " what the hell have you been drinking?! Your eight! " he demanded.

I looked over him again. " you sure you're not Belmont? Stop now if you are. I don't want to play your charades. " I said darkly as I crossed my arms over my chest. " you have more than a lifetime to play that while I don't. " I said trying to jog her memory.

The fake shook his head. " then who are you?! And why are you disguised as m-" I froze. " I mean, Kudou Shinichi?!"

The fake huffed angrily and dragged me to the kitchen, stomping all the way in a childish pout. He went to a coffee machine and heated up coffee and set milk on the stove.

" what are doing? " I asked seriously confused. " and why do you know where everything is? " I decided to interrogate this fake until he broke down, after I've had some coffee to wake me up of course.

" here. Drink. " the man commanded as he handed me a hot cup of coffee. " and hurry up so I can find out your reaction to your little slip up. " he laughed a little airily.

I looked at him questioningly before blowing and taking a sip of my coffee. I released a content sigh and smiled with pleasure. " my morning coffee. " I smiled as I sipped more and the man led me to the table where we sat silently.

" coffee addict~! " he sang smirking slightly.

My brain registered that smirk and I jumped up violently and blanched. " KID! " I breathed. " shit! "

KID laughed. " I didn't understand a thing back there except that the Belmont person is someone scary, and that biochemist-oujou-san is involved. Along with something about that British alcohol drink called Sherry. " he said.

" what did I say? " I asked in a shaky breath. " I never remember anything from when I wake up. My mornings start with me remembering myself at the kitchen table and enjoying coffee. " I explained.

He smirked and said in my voice, " 'Belmont? What do you want? Why are you here? You promised to leave Haibara alone!' " he hissed in my scared and angry tone dripping with bitter resentment. He continued with, " ' she's not your 'Sherry' anymore! '. "

I paled with fear. " What did you think of that?" I asked.

" that Belmont-san is an old and scary babysitter that tortured Biochemist-chan. Also that someone's nickname was 'Sherry'. " he replied automatically.

I nodded automatically. " Belmont was an old family friend that often visited. Scared the beans out of my guts when I was a kid cause she always said some weird line and Haibara often was scared of her too. The lady pulled a gun out on her so she's really afraid. " I explained.

He smirked evilly. " Tantei-kun, you just said, ' when I was a kid' ."

I let out a " geh! " and thought with a nervous face slightly turned away from KID, ' ya be! ' I thought. " that's a red herring. " I sighed unhappily. " I didn't think you would be so stupid to tell that to my face. I guess my plan backfired. Now you might be ready to topple over the lid of Pandora's Box. " I said seriously.

" do you think I'll lose interest in you once I know your secret? " he teased smiling with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

I swallowed back a blush and matched his gaze with a serious one that surprised and worried him for a brief moment. " exactly. " I said and he gaped. I continued before he could say anything, to prevent an embarrassed blush from creeping onto my face. " KID, why do you think I haven't searched for your identity when I could've so easily? " I asked watching his face carefully.

" you mean besides our unspoken agreement made because we end up having to pay each other back? " he asked and I offered a curt nod. " no, why not? I know you could find me in like three days. " he said.

I smiled genuinely. " because you are my 'Pandora's Box'. I'm the only one which shall reveal you, let I keep my fingers away, knowing that once I know what's inside, I'd lose interest. " I said going a small laugh. " you're the one riddle I can't truly solve, KID. "

He smiled back kindly. " Arigatou, Tantei-kun." His face turned serious. " to each other, we are each other's Pandora's Box. Yet each afraid to open for fear that the other would lose Internet in the toy inside. " he smiled a bit. " you are the one jewel I can't steal. The one that I can't reach until I figure you out. My weakness. " he continued.

I felt my heart race and my cheeks warm again. I turned my face to the side in a pout. " Che! " I scoffed, my glowing cheeks remained persistent in betraying my facade. " KID, why the hell is it that every time you say something like that, my face gets hot and my blood flies through my veins? " I demanded, murmuring to myself. " it's a pleasant and addicting feeling yet so damn uncomfortable because I don't understand it! " I used both of my hands to mess up my hair in agitation.

KID chuckled. " I'm asking you the same questions. However, because you're the detective, you figure it out and tell me when you understand. But before that let's eat breakfast and get these handcuffs off. I haven't done a magic trick in 16 and a half hours! " he cried.

" yeah. " I agreed. " I need something after this to move my fingers. Like a violin or piano. " I mumbled. I moved my left hand so it was using the bow of a violin and my right hand playing piano.

" you play? " he asked excitedly. " you've gotta let me listen one day okay? " he rose slightly off of his seat in his eagerness.

" a-ah. " my face heated up quickly at how close he had gotten to my face. " s-sure? " I shrugged uncertainly. " but you've gotta make pancakes for breakfast each time you stay over. Of course, I mean if and when. " I said calmly.

However, it took a good amount of poker face and self control to not look at him pleadingly. " if Tantei-kun will play for me when I ask, I'll make breakfast pancakes anytime! " he laughed as he dragged me around the kitchen to look for ingredients.

" Some pancake mix should be in that pantry we saw on the way here. " I pointed in the direction and he smiled.

" whatever you say! " he smiled skipping to the pantry. He flung it open and scanned the inside. Suddenly, he blanched and started terror sweating. He screamed and backed up against the wall, tears of fear gathered at the side of his eyes.

" what the hell? " I asked. " did you find a dead body in the pantry? " I asked walking and pulling KID along a bit to reach my destination.

" no. " he squeaked. " even worse. Five dozen of them packed into a tin container. " his voice shook.

" I-I've never seen you so afraid. " I whispered looking at him worriedly. " whatever's in there gave you a good scare. " I turned to scan the pantry and I found a tin container. I widened my eyes in shock, looking back and forth from him to the container in my hand.

It says one thing. 'Canned Tuna' . He whimpered a bit and I put the container away and grabbed the pancake mix. I shoved it into his hands and he looked up at me like those puppies on those CMs about donations for abused animals.

" I'll dispose of them later, don't go into the pantry until I say it's okay. " I smiled bending down a bit and helping him up. He took my hand shakily but with relief.

" Most people laugh when they find out about my ichthyophobia. " he shrugged as he walked to the kitchen towing me along.

I gave a brief laugh. " Ichthyophobia is a symptom of the mind that many people have. Though yours seems much more severe. Now I know not to ever make fish for dinner or have sushi when you're around. " I joked, he gave a slight whimper at the name of the things and I felt him shiver since he was dragging me by the hand.

" Is there anyway to get these off before breakfast? " he pouted. " I'm ambidextrous myself for magic tricks so it doesn't bother me, but I have a feeling you don't wanna remain handcuffed to me much longer. " he stopped abruptly and took my handcuffed wrist. " you're the one who put these handcuffs so tight on your own wrist. " he wiggled them up a bit and I bit back a small cry of pain.

" it was so you..." I bit back another cry as he poked my tender skin. " wouldn't escape from the handcuffs easily. " I grabbed his wrist. " I'm sure I did the same to you. " I squinted my eyes a him and checked his wrist sighing. " I'm sorry, I didn't know we would have it this long. " I hesitated before placing a small and chaste kiss on the red skin. When I pulled away, KID was shocked but collected himself again.

" anyway, the problem at hand is how we get this off. " he stuttered once and ever so slightly, it was barely noticeable.

I smiled. " we find the spare key in the attic. " then I felt my face shift into small frown. " I believe the container was another one of Hakase's inventions. " I said as I led him up the spiral stair case and to the attic.

We came to the end of the hall on the second floor and KID sighed. " Jottou, Tantei-kun! " he looked up at the ceiling. " there's no where for the attic to be. " he whined.

I smirked. " not true. " I said leaning against the wall next to a family portrait. The entire hall was lined with pictures of my old childhood. " there's one. " I said quickly to keep him from looking at the pictures. Shit, I did not think this through.

KID looked at me and laughed. " oh yeah! So Meitantei-san has one too? " he walked over to me and pushed on the large painting. " Push on one side and out comes the passageway. Also, the other side of the picture. " he walked in happily.

" 'Has one too? ' " I asked. " does that mean you have one at home? " I asked as I thumped the wooden floor with my foot on a specific floor board. The board flung up another one a few feet away and I walked to it.

KID was gaping slightly. " yeah, at home to find my KID suit, you have to push a life size picture of my dad. The other side is him, in uniform, hiding his face with the cape, top hat, and monocle. It's actually pretty cool. " he replied as I rummaged through a bag with my left hand so that KID could stay out of the way.

I found what I was looking for and pulled it out, satisfied. A small flashlight because my wristwatch needed new batteries. I threw the bag down under the floor board again and slammed it shut with my foot.

" it's a long way up before we find a light switch. " I explained flipping the light on. " so the light is stored there so that we can climb these, " I flashed the light on stone stairs that climbed up. " safely. " I finished.

" ho~? " KID smiled. " looks like Meitantei-san is actually pretty interesting. " he commented as we climbed the staircase.

" more than you think. " I smiled as we climbed the rest of the way in silence. When we arrived, we came to a place that seemed like another living room, not an attic.

KID gave a low whistle. " Nice. " he said as he dragged me to sit over on the velvet and red couch. " looks very Victorian. " he eyed the black case on the table.

" I personally like this place. It has that nice wooden table and cream colored carpet that makes it comfortable. " I said as I entered a code on the case carefully and unlocked it.

" is that where the key is? " he asked. " looks a little big. " he commented.

" no. " I smiled mischievously. " it's the key to the key. " I flipped the case opened and breathed a content sigh. " long time no see, Stradivarius. "

KID whistled again. " rich kids. " he grumbled in Occ-chan's voice and crossed his arms over his chest. " hundreds of millions of dollars lying in the attic all locked up. " he continued. When he finished, he took in my annoyed look with a cheeky grin.

I gingerly picked up the violin and plucked a string. I winced at the sound. " Shit. That's so out of tune, it'll take longer than five minutes to fix. "

" you have perfect pitch? " he asked. " I thought you couldn't sing? "

I rolled my eyes. " I simply lack relative pitch. " I said as pulled out my cell phone. I toyed around with it a it to find the dialer.

Sighing, I pressed all of the numbers and listened to them carefully. I then turned the small heads at the top of the violin, plucking the strings a bit to hear the sounds. KID watched awestruck.

When the violin was finally tuned I sighed. "It won't sound as good as it should since I used a cell phone's dial tone to tune it, but it should be fine. " I murmured searching the violin. " the question is, will I be able to play it like this? "

" ah, you mean the handcuffs? " he asked.

I froze. " y-yeah! " I stuttered. ' I actually meant whether or not I could play with this small body and fingers. My fingers could slip or might no reach where I want it to. ' I thought with a face that relates with 'Oi, Oi.'

" what should I do? " he asked thoughtfully.

I tried to think of something else instead of what else I had in mind. My face turned pink as I ran out of possibilities. " you're gonna have to stand in front of me and let me move my arms freely. " an image of the stance flashed through my mind. It would look like we were dancing, but he had to crouch to my height.

" ok. " he agreed automatically. " but where's the case with the key? "

" it's dark green and has a lot of music notes on its top, with a few numbers and is shaped like a rectangle. It's about the size of a shoe box. " I said as I went through my older memories.

" so we have to search for it. " KID concluded.

" and fast. " I said as I glanced at my watch. " it's already 12:37. "

KID groaned. " I hate late breakfasts! " he sighed as he rose from the couch and we searched. " at least it shouldn't be that hard to find. While we're looking, can you think of anywhere in this room where it should be? "

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples gingerly. " it one of my older memories, it'll take some time. " I said sighing and looking at him.

" that's fine, " he nodded. " as long as we search so that we can find it. "

I smiled briefly at him before letting my face draw into a look of deep concentration. 'Where is it?' I asked myself. ' where did I put that box? Where would I think of, if I had it now? ' .

I gasped. " what? " KID jumped at the sudden outburst.

I smiled a bit happily before answering, " 'the most obvious place can be the most secretive. ' " I quoted something I remembered from a man a long time ago. " I can't remember who said that, but I'm sure I left it in the most obvious place, we'll laugh. " I added mumbling, " unlike now, I had the mind of a child back then. "

I stood in the center of the room with KID beside me. I looked at the entrance and saw myself, running in with the box as a faxed memory. My old self looked around the room eagerly and I followed wherever he went. Young Kudou Shinichi was sweating from running around and playing, and his breaths came out in small huffs. He walked over to the couch and I followed, pulling KID along with me.

The true mini me looked around as though someone was watching and smiled at the entrance. His lips moved, but I heard no sound. At the entrance was a tall man who had Occ-chan's mustache but thinner. He smiled but the shadows cast themselves to hide the upper half of his face. Then ' I ' lifted a couch cushion and placed the box underneath. Yet, he hesitated and took the box out again after biting his lip. He lifted the light brown rug to reveal a sodden floor and opened a floor board, placing the box inside. I mimicked the movement and found the box covered with dust. At the end of the memory, I was flipping the floor board down and replacing the rug with shaking excitement. I then ran back to the mysterious man who pat my shoulders and said something else, they both left the room after this.

" ...ntei-kun! Oi! Wake up! " KID was snapping his fingers in my face.

" we found it! " I breathed looking at the box.

" what were you looking at? There was no one there. " KID commented.

" I was watching my memory play out. It's possible to do that you know. " I shrugged and placed the box on the table.

" ok. " KID said happily. " so how is that Stradivarius the key? " he asked nodding his head at the thing.

" you turn on the box and play the right song. Then the box clicks open. " I shrugged pressing a small red button at the left top hand corner of the box. A musical scale showed on the digital scale and a few notes showed. Only four showed while next to the measure, it said to continue the song.

I gingerly picked up the violin and nodded to KID who stood in front of me. " B-A-G-A . " I mumbled. A small feeling nudged me at the back of my mind. Telling me that I should know that.

I positioned my bow and played, allowing the box to record the song. He moment I heard the entire thing I gasped. " H-A-G-A! " I remembered. Without missing a beat, I continued the song. " Ti-Sol-Fa-Sol. " I started trying to remember the rest. " Ti-Ti-Sol-Fa-Re. " I smirked as I finished the line. " I believe this was ' The Seven Children' . " I stated aloud as the box clicked open and KID moved out of the way. I smirked slightly. " what a great choice, Hakase. " I muttered sarcastically.

" is it there? " KID breathed eagerly at my shoulder. I felt my face to instantly pink as his warm breath splashed all over my face.

My heart pounded wildly and it took most of my self control not to stutter the answer. " see for yourself. " I breathed, stubbornly fixing my gaze on the old brass key in the box. " why didn't Hakase tell me that he made these handcuffs such a long time ago? " I asked as I took the key and stuffed it into the keyhole eagerly.

" maybe he thought you hid the handcuffs in the box until he found them again and gave them to you. " KID suggested.

" probably. " I said as I un-cuffed KID first. The handcuffs fell away from his wrist to reveal painful, red, and tender skin. I felt my heart clench at the sight. " Gosh, I'm so sorry KID. " I said a little sheepishly.

" 's okay. " he mumbled blowing on the skin carefully. " some ice an I should be okay. Besides, I can just use my right hand to cook. "

I quickly said, " you don't have to! " . He looked at me and arched an eyebrow. " you know...' Cause I hurt your left hand. " I explained a bit timidly.

" the agreement was for me to make pancakes for you whenever you played for me. " KID said in a matter of fact tone. " but since you hurt my hand, you think I should get a freebie and skip it this time. " he continued and I nodded, not sure what the point was.

" point? " I asked.

" I'm not accepting the freebie because I am starved and I want to leave a note for Meitantei-san saying that I stole some pancakes. It'll be funny! " he snickered as he rubbed his wrist gingerly and got up from his crouched position.

I shrugged. " whatever you say KID. " I took one last look at the violin case and carefully replaced the violin. Closing the case, I played around with both locks to change the code. Now it was 1412, for KID and I only.

Satisfied, I spun the locks so that the code didn't show and left it on the table next to the now closed music box, literally.

" let's go! " KID called from the entrance. " I'm starving Tantei-kun! " he whined.

I smiled and raced over to where he was and I flipped the flash light on again. We walked down in silence except for KID's humming of ' The Seven Children' . I smiled at how well he could sing even if it was just humming.

We came down and I took the chance to see the back of the painting. KID and I gasped in unison, and I dropped the flashlight.

" oh my-" KID started.

" don't. " I said in a warning tone.

" -godfather! " he snickered. " it's me! " he laughed.

" and Kudou Shinichi. " I breathed.

" and a person I only meet in a mirror. " he continued.

There, in the picture was a picture of two boys my current age and one Kaitou KID in the middle grinning mischievously with his arms around them. I was grinning happily and the other boy was smirking mischievously with a dove on his shoulder. However, I was holding a magnifying glass.

" are they cosplaying? " I asked awkwardly.

" it looks like it. " KID laughed. " the boy on the left is cosplaying as a magician by the name of Kuroba Toichi, while the man is cosplaying as Kaitou KID, and you are cosplaying as Holmes. " he said. He peered quizzically at me. " don't you remember this? " he asked.

" no. " I said bluntly. " this picture is ten years old, and that's not me on the side. " I said as I searched the painting.

" who is it? " he asked confused.

" Shinichi-niisan... " I breathed. " I told you I looked exactly like him. When he was around 7 to 9, I was born. I'm exactly like a clone. " I said quietly. Turning the picture around and walking away.

" that's scary. " he said. " are you sure you're not a clone? " he glanced down at me and I shrugged.

I smirked. " that's for you to find out. " I said as we walked down the stairs together and into the kitchen.

" fair enough. " he replied as he went to start cooking. I set up the table and sat down in a chair, awaiting my delicious pancakes.

" I haven't had pancakes since mom and dad moved out. " I said happily. " and Ran doesn't make them. " I tapped my fork and knife together and KID flipped a pancake laughing.

" is that why you asked? " he looked back at me as the pancake landed on his waiting plate.

I nodded grinning. " pancakes are delicious! " I ran to the fridge and bought out the orange juice. " Hey KID, which one do you want? Milk or orange juice? " I asked.

" Milk please! " he piped up as he flipped the last pancake and skillfully caught it.

I replaced the orange juice in the fridge and took out the milk. KID was at the table setting down the pancakes, two for each person. I poured his milk as he sat and he mumbled a thank you as I excitedly put the milk away and ran back into the table, skidding into the chair.

" itadaki masu! " we said in unison. I carefully poured syrup onto the pancakes and ate them. Then, KID reached for the syrup too as I had my first bite.

" wait! " I said quickly. " he froze and stared at me. " it's bitter syrup KID. " I warned. " there is no regular syrup here so you'll have to sprinkle your pancakes with sugar if you can't stand it. " I said.

He nodded as I rose from the table to get the sugar. I hopped onto the countertop and opened the ton cabinet. On the middle self was the sugar. I reached far for it and barely touched it when another hand snatched the sugar away and carried me down from the place.

" Tantei-kun, you were about to fall if you moved an inch over to the right. " KID scolded. " if you fell what would you do? " he asked as he set me in the chair I was previously seated at.

I grinned cheekily before eating a good chunk of my pancake. " I would've back flipped onto the floor. " I looked at him seriously as he sat down and continued to eat. " or you would've caught me. Right? KID-niichan? " I stressed the niichan and smiled sweetly.

" whatever Tantei-kun. " he smiled as he finished the last bit of his pancake and I followed suite. We both took our plates to the sink, and I began washing them. KID prepared to dry and put away the plates.

I scrubbed the syrup off of the plates after standing on a stool for reaching easily. I bought that when I first turned into Conan so that if I came back, I could reach places that I needed to. I smiled at the memory since I was so pissed at that fact. I handed off the first plate to KID's ready hands, who was silently watching me.

" ' You have a grand fist of silence, Watson. ' " I quoted Holmes. " ' It makes you quite invaluable as a companion. ' " I smiled before handing him my plate.

" Sherlock Holmes, ka? " he sighed. " thank you for the compliment. " he grinned as I rinsed out the cups and handed then to him.

" you're welcome. " I said before handing him the forks and knives. He dried them quickly and put them away too.

He gave me he towel and I dried my hands. " you should probably change so we can wash those. " I commented.

" you should probably take a shower before you go on your plane. I heard it makes people fall asleep easier. " he replied. I 'hmm'-ed in thought and agreement before putting the stool under the sink where it was before.

I grinned after glancing at my watch. " Since there's still most likely and hour before Hattori arrives, I think I'm gonna take a bath. " I stretched my limbs.

" but it's 1:30. " KID pointed out. " doesn't he come at 2 pm? "

" his plane arrives a 2 pm. " I explained, cracking my knuckles. " it takes 30 minutes to arrive from the airport plus how long it takes to recover his luggage, argue with Kazuha-chan, and catch a cab. " I yawned little. " just don't break or toy with too many things okay? " I asked.

" okay! " he piped happily. Together we walked into the corridor. I walked into the bath while KID walked into my room. I waved before closing the door and drawing the bath. I let the water fill the tub while I showered and cleaned my body before relaxing in the tub. By the time I had finished completely, the bath tub had filled completely and was welcoming me.

" ah... " I said sinking low into the water with my eyes closed. " first thing I want to feel after I change back. God it's gonna be so damn painful. " I mumbled. I relaxed my arms over the rim of the tub and let my head fall back.

I breathed a content sigh before closing my eyes peacefully. I enjoyed the wonderful silence and allowed my body to take in the warmth of the water. " when was the last time I took a bath without Ran or Occ-chan rushing me for their turns? " I breathed.

I snickered as I answered my own question. ' two years ago in this very spot. ' I smiled. ' I'm so glad I'll change back for a week. I'll even go to KID's heist like that and meet him face to face. Now the down sides to this transformation are: a) I'll die from it, b) Hattori and I'll run into a murder and I'll have to ask them not to put my name in the newspaper, c) I'll reject Ran, and d) it'll be more painful than setting yourself on fire and then dunking yourself into the Arctic Ocean repeatedly. ' I thought dully.

I enjoyed the quiet, it was peaceful. Then my head snapped up in alarm, my eyes searching the room. It was quiet. Too quiet. Way to quiet for another person to be in the house, and that 'okay' that KID sang made me feel sick.

He was doing something. Something I would have to clean up later. I got up and out of the water, quickly opening the drain for the tub. I rushed to the shower and rinsed myself throughly before drying myself off. I shook my head to get rid of some of the water, deciding that there was no time for blow drying.

I quickly wiggled into my clothing that consisted of dark blue jeans, a black blouse, and a my usual bow tie. Though the top my shirt hung open and the bow tie was loose, I ran out of the bathroom after hurriedly wiping the wet floor.

' Shit, shit and shit. 'I mentally swore as I zoomed down the stairs and into the living room.

I looked around finding nothing. Not wasting time, I ran into the kitchen, still finding nothing. I then ran into my father's study, and found a silent room that hasn't been disturbed in years. I slammed that door closed too before running into the library.

There, was KID stretched lazily over an arm chair. He looked up once before looking back to his book. Then he quickly flicked his head up to look at me again. He gave a low whistle and looked me up and down until I grew self-conscious. I then remembered how I looked and I felt my face grew warm as I panted away my running.

" w-what? " I asked slightly pouting and looking away. " why are you staring like that? "

" have you seen yourself in the mirror? " he asked incredulously. I shook my head. " well did you look at the clothes you were gonna wear? " he continued. I nodded this time.

" what about it? " I stammered. " is there something wrong with it? " I asked strolling over to him with my arms slightly out.

He grinned widely. " you look so cool and dangerous. " he sat up correctly in the chair and crossed his legs. " and dare I say it, se~xy! " he whistled.

I felt my face heat up wildly and I looked away again. " this is how I normally dress. " I mumbled. " nothing special about it. "

"Then I would hate to see how you look when you're actually trying. " he looked wide eyes at me and I tucked away my bow tie and buttoned up my shot a little more, only leaving one button.

" I jumped out because it was quiet, but even if you screamed, I wouldn't have heard it. " I turned away from him and went to a specific corner of the library attempting to control my pink face.

I searched through a self as KID asked, " why not? "

I rapped the wall with my knuckles. " completely sound proof. " I replied dully. " ah! Found it! " I exclaimed excitedly. I pulled back the book carefully and waited. Soon, an earthquake-like rumble ran through the room and KID jumped out of his chair.

" what the hell?! " he exclaimed. " what's going on?! " he demanded.

The rumbling stopped and revealed a few books that were pushed out of their slots slightly. I walked over to one and tapped it. " Ti! " I sang perfectly. I changed to another one and quoted an actress from mom's favorite play, the Golden Apple. I stepped to the third book and placed my hand on it, mumbling a few words about a jewel of immortality.

KID stood beside me inspecting it all. Once I finished, the floor by the desk fell away to reveal a few stairs leading downward. " the hell? " KID mumbled. " what's with this house? " he walked over to the hole and I followed smiling.

" this is the 'Conclave Cum Mille Enigmata' . " I said in Latin.

He looked amused at me. " the Room With A Thousand Riddles. " he translated.

I glanced up at him with my hands in my pockets. " I've only been through 50 riddles in this room, I want you to be able to use some for your heists. None of these have answers, so it's safe. Also, I think your riddles have gotten a little too easy, so I thought you were running low on ideas. " I shrugged.

KID suddenly swept me off my feet and carried me. " oh, Tantei-kun! " he squealed. " you are the best person in the world! " he squeezed me tight and I felt my blush disappear.

" No KID, you won't think so soon. " I replied. Without setting me down, he raced down the stairs laughing.

" I don't care! You can tell me anything and you'll still be my Tantei-kun! " he continued to run down the stairs.

I felt myself reach up and wrap my arms around His neck, embracing him. When we reached the bottom, I mumbled. " you have no idea what that means to me. "

" I might soon. " he replied setting me down with a gentle smile.

I groaned. " that's what I'm afraid of. " I said as I went to a random book in this mini, white, and dim library.

" it's really all marble. " KID breathed after inspecting the floor and shelves.

" yup. Costed a fortune. " I said reading the book. I placed it back into its slot and found a specific book. " one book is equal to 50 riddles. " I stated as I held up the book I had for him to see. " I'll be taking this one since its the one I read, but the rest are yours. " I smiled. " good luck. "

" you're not staying? " he asked.

" no, Hattori will be here any moment. I'll close the library off limits so you have air to breathe. I you need me, " I paused setting a small black device on the desk. " press the button on this, and it'll make mine beep. " I looked at him. " only for emergencies. You have two hours in here, and possibly more if you remember what I said at the books. That is, if you decided to break in. " I added.

" Roger. " he saluted with his left hand and I chuckled amused. " I'll be here for a while. And yes I do remember what you said at the top. "

" 'k." I nodded. " I have to go now 'cause Hattori will probably barge in here if I don't answer the door. I'll bring you some snacks later. " I said as I walked away and climbed the stairs.

" okay! " he said happily.

When I arrived a the top, I zoomed out of the room and shut the door, sticking on the lock. Soon after, the door bell was ringing excitedly.

" Kudou! " a voice called. " hurry up 'n' open the door! " he commanded.

" I'm coming, I'm coming! " I yelled exasperated. I flung the door open and Hattori flew in.

" Hiya Kudou! " he said excitedly, towing his luggage in with him. " how ya doin'? Where's dat Sciencey-neechan? Is she here?"

" Haibara? " I asked as I shut the door. " nah, we go over there at four. I think you should stay here though. " I commented after leading him into the living room.

" why? " he asked sitting down on the couch. He flung his coat over it next to him, like he was at home. I smiled gently at the action and then turned my attention to him again.

" do you want to hear me screaming in pain? " I asked arching an eyebrow.

" is it dat bad? " he asked a bit shocked. I nodded.

" it's a good chunk of the 'flames of hell' thrown straight at you. " I said describing the feeling a little. " yet it's called ' Sherlock' . " I snickered.

A look of confusion flashed across his face for a brief moment and he smiled. " yeah, ya just change da numbers ta hiragana 'n' ya get 'Sherlock' . " he nodded.

" Couldn't Haibara be a little more creative? " I joked as I stood.

" maybe da antidote'll be called ' Watson' . " he said watching me.

" you hungry? " I asked. " I've got food here for once. " I said.

" I do wa't a snack. " he admitted. " such a long flight with Kazuha yellin' at me fer bein' such a ahou. " he mocked.

I laughed. " you've got it bad. " I said. " to the point were all you could do is bicker. " I snickered and came out of kitchen to find Hattori grumbling something and flipping through channels on the TV.

He lit up at the sight of the food and grinned, tearing open a bag of chips. " Kudou, yer da best. "

I laughed slightly bitter at that. " oh ah. Hakase blew up one of his experiments in my library a while ago, so it stinks worse than a stink bomb in there. Said I have to let it air out for another two hours, so don't go in there unless you wanna faint. " I explained, glad I opened the window the night before.

" got it. " he nodded. " tell Hakase ta keep his toys ta himself when d'ey can explode. " he commented through his chips.

I laughed. " we didn't know it could blow up. " I shrugged sighing slightly." that's why we did the experiment, but it back fired. " I stretched my legs over the floor. " when you're done there, " I started looking at his bag of chips pointedly and he hugged them protectively. " I can show you where your room'll be." I said.

" it's not the one I usually use? " he asked looking up from his treat. I shook my head at him and leaned back on my hands.

" no. I opened up the room next to mine so it's like a guest bedroom too. You choose which one you like better later. " I shrugged watching the TV. " anyway; how are your recent cases? " I asked.

Hattori launched into his latest case and I listened carefully, following along whenever I could tune in. It was actually interesting since he didn't reveal who it was before hand, but asked me who I thought it was once the story came to the point where he said, ' the criminal is you, Mr./Mrs. -' . I answered correctly and got up to show him the room.

He liked it better since I was spacious and pretty much like his own room. He set his luggage there and began unpacking. I left him to it as I claimed to check on the library. Hurriedly, I grabbed random snacks that weren't bitter and threw them onto a tray, along with a can of coke.

I rushed into the library, closing the door behind me. Racing down the stairs I called, " KID! I have snacks! "

I found him absorbed in a book so I left the tray there with a note scribbled on with the word, 'enjoy' . With that I left him.

I left the library choking on air. " damn it! " I swore loudly. " Hattori! Don't go in the library still! It pretty bad even now. " I called up the stairs.

" 'k, Kudou! " he called down happily. " I'm almost done over here, I'll be done in a minute . " he said.

I froze. " Hattori, are you practicing to hide your Kansai-Dan?" I asked.

" yeah, it's workin' pretty good. What'ddya say 'bout it? Was it good?" He asked climbing down the stairs.

" actually, I almost thought you were from Tokyo. " I said impressed.

He grinned cheekily. " I'm thinkin' it'll be good fer cases here, it'll be fun just because its a good skill to have. " he thought for a moment as we walked back to the living room. " wasn't yer Oba-han da one dat used a different dialect during a case ta communicate with dat guy who wouldn't speak? Dat's da one ya told me 'bout. "

" ah. I almost didn't believe she would do that but she did, and we solved the case because of it. What that gardener said made him innocent. Was a good case, didn't have to use my tranquilizer watch. Ran's mom was there too that time, looked like a battle between the two miss Teitan. " I said sitting down on the couch.

" oh yeah, I remember Okaa-han was sayin' somethin' 'bout dat a long while back. Drove me nuts since I was little 'n' didn't know what d'ey were sayin'. Glad it finished though. " he said tearing open another bag of chips.

" Oi, Oi. A second bag? Why don't we just have lunch? " I asked.

" no time fer dat, Kudou. We gotta leave in like twen'y minutes. Findin' lunch 'n' comin' back on time's impossible. We'd never make it, 'n' Sciency-neechan would bite yer head off. " he grinned at the statement. " Kudou runnin' away from a girl. " he snickered.

" damn, only that much time? " I asked glancing at my watch. I did a double take. " Oi, Oi Hattori! Your watch is behind by ten minutes! " I whined.

" what are ya talkin' 'bout? Yer watch could be ten minutes ahead! " he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest after putting down his empty bag of chips.

" no it can't be me. Hakase just fixed my watch and I had to fix the time. Plus, my watch has the same time as the wall clock. " I said standing up.

" oh. Well let's go! Don't ya need ta get yer clothes and other stuff fer da transformation? " he asked getting up too.

" I know, I'm going. Wait here. " I commanded.

" roger. " he replied. Then he started snickering uncontrollably. " Kudou's gonna be runnin' 'round like a headless chicken. "

I gave him a glare and muttered. " if looked could kill, you'd be first to go with that mouth. " he stopped snickering and I ran to my room laughing.

Grabbing my favorite clothes from when I was big, I stuffed them into the duffel bag I had with me when I left the Detective Agency. After stuffing a few other necessities, like shampoos and stuff for relaxing in the bath tub later, I ran out of my room. I never thought I would have to take to baths in one day.

I remember Haibara said that if my skin was relaxed and clean, it would ease the pain a little. Than later after the transformation, I would have the worst amount of sweat on me. Ew, so disgusting. That's probably the biggest reason why I like taking baths afterwards.

Suddenly, a beeping noise snapped me out of my pointless thinking. I froze not recognizing what it was for a moment. Then, searching my pockets, I found the culprit.

" KID. " I breathed. I zoomed down the stairs and searched for Hattori, panting.

Glad he wasn't around, I turned left and into the library. After closing the door quietly behind me, I panted away my running and checked my clock. " damn, only five minutes. " I wiped a bit of sweat off my forehead. ' stupid little body, I would feel ashamed if I started sweating like this as Kudou Shinichi. ' I thought.

There was a slow whistle. " woah, Tantei-kun. " KID said coming out of the hole. " you're sweating pretty bad there. "

" are you done in there? " I grinned sheepishly. " I'm gonna close it now. " I said walking to the shelf used to open the entrance.

" yeah, okay. But can I borrow a few of these? " he asked holding a bunch of them up. " I've taken a liking to these ones. They would be nice for my heist notes. " he said grinning.

" sure. " I shrugged ripping off a memo sheet from the desk. " what are the titles? " I asked preparing a pen.

KID chuckled. " now it's a real library. " he looked at the titles and read them. I scribbled them down and he spoke. " Is something happening Tantei-kun? You look so excited. "

I looked up grinning. " glad we cleaned up here. " I said. " Shinichi-niisan is coming home for a week. " I smiled happily.

" Meitantei-san? " he asked surprised. " then he really will be coming to my heist? "

" yup. So be prepared. " I laughed. " window's open for you. Hattori's still out there. " I said jabbing a thumb to the library entrance. " I'll see you in two weeks KID. " I said waving.

" Ja! " he said preparing to jump out of the window. " get me a souvenir! Possibly sweets, okay? If you promise, I won't be hard on Meitantei-san. "

" whatever you say. " I grinned. He jumped out of the window, grinning maniacally.

Glad there was nothing left to do for today, I left the library and found Hattori in the living room. " let's go Kudou! Ya have like 45 seconds ta get there. " he stated opening the door.

I locked the door quickly with my duffel bag and Hattori stared at it with an amused expression. " Not a word, Hattori. " I hissed. " not a word. "

He nodded, but his expression looked as though it was having trouble trying to keep back laughter. I rolled my eyes and we faced the direction of Hakase's house. " wanna race? " he asked, smug.

" if you want me to whoop your ass, than yeah. " I said smirking confidently.

" not gonna happen, I'll be da one ta win. " he stated. " ready? " I nodded. " set go! " he said quickly, sprinting away.

I zoomed after him, used to the running from KID's heist and caught up with him easily. We tied at the door of Hakase's house after climbing the wall that separated my house and his.

" I thought ya said ya were gonna whoop my ass. " he said smugly, knocking on the door.

" ho~? I thought you said you were gonna win. " I said smirking as the door swung open.

" you are 1.7 minutes late, Kudou-kun. " came the cold monotone of Haibara.

" Hiya, Sciency-neechan! " Hattori grinned as he strolled into the house.

" nice to see you again, Hattori-kun. " Haibara smiled slightly. " are you prepared? " she asked the both of us.

We replied seriously, " of course. "

Hattori added, " we don't really have a choice do we? " he arched an eyebrow. " I'll be waiting in the livin' room fer ya, Kudou. " he raised a han as he flopped onto the couch. " I'll just chat with good ol' Hakase until its all over. " he said grinning at Hakase who was setting down tea.

" we'll be waiting for you, Shinichi. " he smiled.

" I'll be as quiet as possible. " I said seriously. " I want a towel to bite on. " I said turning to Haibara.

She nodded. " just get into the lab and I'll be there in a moment. Clean your arm off with disinfectant. I want to check your blood from before and compare it to after. "

" the blood you took yesterday wont work for that? " I whined.

" no. " she said bluntly. I huffed a sigh and climbed the stairs down into the lab. It was still a white room with computers and blood samples every where. Along with chemicals and gadgets from Hakase. I hugged my arms and looked around.

" it's time. " I breathed. I stripped down to only boxers and layer down on the testing table. I set the restraints for my legs, thighs, waist, and one hand.

Cold and nimble fingers fixed my other hand and the restraint around my next. I shivered slightly. " don't scream too much, Kudou-kun. Don't want you to worry your friend upstairs do we? " Haibara said, offering a small smile.

" just give me the towel, Haibara. I promise I won't scream too loud. " I rolled my eyes. " but if I break my promise, tell Hakase to give him ear plugs. " I said.

She held out two pills and I opened my mouth with an 'ah'. She dumped them into my mouth like someone who was adding sugar to their coffee. " I'll do that. " she said as she turned to give me water.

" thanks. " I said before she made me swallow the temporary antidote. For a moment, there was nothing. " Haibara, you did give me the antidote, right? " I asked.

She smiled. " it starts slow, but it'll be over in about an hour or two. You probably won't die. " she said.

I rolled my eyes. " gee, thanks a lo-" I gasped as I felt my heart rate speed up.

" it's starting~! " she said in a sing song voice. However it was very sarcastic. She damped the towel by her side and I gasped again, choking on air.

" Hai...ya...ku..." I squeezed out. " Argh! " I gave a short cry. She stuffed the towel into my mouth gently and I but hard into it. I gave a muffled cry of agony and felt my body raise against the restraints.

I turned my head to one side and then to the other. I choked on my own spit and held back screams. In the pit of my throat, a raging fire started. I knew that the worst part of it all was coming. The pain drew away suddenly and I could breath. I panted hard. " how'd I do? " I asked through the towel.

" we both know that was only the beginning. There's a minute or two of a tingling sensation and that's when I draw the blood. " she said sticking a needle into my arm. I whimpered slightly, my very sensitive skin burned at the place where she slapped on disinfectant.

She drew the needle out and looked at it in the light. " you should start panting again now, it'll lessen the shock from your increase in heart rate that'll be coming. " she said as she sat down in her computer chair and set the blood into a round beaker. I did as I was told and Haibara grabbed a clipboard and recorded my actions during phase one.

I coughed harshly as my heart rate went up again, and the fire spread to my chest and around my heart. I gave an agonized scream into the towel as the fire nestled itself into my heart. I felt my eyes snap open and I fought the restraints to ease my pain. " Haibara! " I choked out in a shaky and loud whisper.

She ran over to me. " what is it, Kudou-kun? You shouldn't talk or you'll bite your tongue off! " she hissed worriedly.

" give Hattori some earplugs, I'm not gonna make it. " I panted hoarsely.

She nodded and scrambled to find earplugs at her desk. Frantically, she looked back at me and said, " Don't die on me now, Kudou-kun. Don't die if I leave. " she whispered.

I gave a weak nod and gasped as the fire grew and spread to my shoulders. She raced up the stairs and didn't come back for about two minutes. When she did, she tumbled down the stairs and came raced to the table. " ok Kudou-kun. " she smiled weakly and her top lip trembled. " you can scream now. "

I smiled carefully. " you're...the...best. " I choked out. " don't feel horrible about this every time. " I said in a quick whisper.

" Kudou-kun. " she whimpered slightly as I gave a short scream.

The scorching fire was spreading and shooting down my arms and running into the ends of my fingertips. The fire was like a skate boarder and my fingers were the wall. Then, the flame reached my lungs. I gasped in horror, as I remembered the pain that came from this phase. I squeezed my eyes tight and breathed slowly, breaching myself.

Then it came. It flooded my lungs and I felt like I was drowning in boiling water. It reached the middle of my lungs and stayed there, licking the side of my lungs. It stayed there and I looked up, feeling my eyes lull into the back of my head. I released one last blood curling scream before slipping into unconsciousness.

It was dark. There was noting but a small candle with a flame in the darkness. Without knowing why, I approached shakily, feeling my bones reject the movement. I whimpered with every movement, but couldn't allow myself to stop.

Somewhere far away, there was a snickering. " Ya think he's alright? His face is so disoriented, like he's torn between screamin' in pain 'n' makin' a peaceful sleepin' face. " The sound came in murmurs, but I could hear it clearly, and I recognized the voice to be Hattori's.

" I don't know. " another voice said, torn between monotone and worry. I knew it was Haibara. " if he doesn't wake up within the time limit, I'm dunking a pail of ice water on him. " she sighed.

I went rigid with the 'oh crap' feeling. " Maa maa. " Hakase's voice came through. " do we have to wake him up within the time limit? " he asked.

" yes, or he might go into a coma. " Haibara answered seriously, returning to her monotone.

Some one gave a low whistle. " Kudou, if ya don't wake up, yer never gonna be able ta reject 'Neechan 'n' move on. She'd wait fer ya when yer still in yer coma, 'n' we'd have ta watch with worry. Ya seriously wanna do dat? Yer hearts too big fer it, ya'd never pull it off. Ya big wuss. " he snickered.

I felt myself grow angry, but the feeling numbed my body and the small flame began to disappear. ' it must be the pain from the cure.' I thought. ' when the flame goes out, I'll wake up. Then I'll whoop Hattori's ass for doubting my resolve. ' I growled. ' I'm no wuss. '

The flame began to dim ever further, and I grew excited. I braced myself for the lead feeling to come when I awake. " ah, he's awake in his brain. " Haibara's voice came. " he heard every word you just said Hattori-kun. Be prepared for a good amount yelling. "

" ya mean like he's taken shelter 'n his subconscious? " Hattori asked. " slick. Dat's Kudou fer ya. "

I could see him crossing his arms and I turned to see the flame die completely. Then, the after about a minute, I felt the after pain rush in and my eye lids open slightly. " agghh, " I moaned. " lead bones, need water... " I said opening my eyes to Haibara at her computer, and Hakase and Hattori bending over me. Hattori was grinning madly, and Hakase was smiling.

Suddenly, Hattori pulled a bucket out of no where. " Alright, Kudou, if ya say so. " he shrugged and grinned.

I fought the restraints wildly as I realized what the bucket held. " Hattori, no. Don't. " I hissed. My bones gave in and I was paralyzed. I groaned as I struggled to move, but it was useless.

Hattori was still grinning and held the bucket over by chest, beginning to tip it slowly. " one, for the crow, two for the prisoner, and three for the helpless ones behind them. " he tipped the bucket and the ice cold water spilled over my body.

" FUCK! " I swore hoarsely. I shivered severely and shook my head to get rid of the water. " Hattori, I'm gonna kill you in your sleep. " I warned. He laughed uncontrollably and looked at me again, resulting in him doubling over in even more wild laughter.

" Haibara, if you would kindly remove the restraint on my left hand. " I said without removing my gaze from Hattori. " I'd be very pleased. " I spat.

" Don't do it, Neechan! " he wailed. " he means what he's sayin'! " he wailed looking at her in alarm.

" I'm supposed to release him from the restraints to exercise his bones and muscles. You'd be perfect for the practice. " she shrugged and smirked evilly. I released a crackle of evil laughter.

" I'm coming Hattori! " I sang, wincing slightly at how weak I sounded. Haibara quickly undid my left hand and I hurried to remove the other restraints. Hattori grew wide eyed and sprinted up the stairs.

" run fer yer lives! Kudou's rampage is approaching us! " he wailed from the top of the stairs. I had to strain my ears to hear his snickering. What followed were footsteps thumping around quickly as though he was searching for a place to hide.

I undid the final restraint and smirked evilly, while Haibara snickered. " you're not gonna get far. " she said. " your muscles won't allow you to sprint as much as you would like. You've got to wait an hour or two before you can run around. Until then you need to stay here or at your house. No going out. "

" as usual. " I said jumping off the table. " crap, my boxers look like booty shorts. " I said looking down at my self. " at least my abs haven't really changed. I guess that might be because I don have the same calorie amount. " I said looking to Haibara for approval. She nodded.

" you left your clothes on the couch upstairs. " she snickered. " why don't you ask Hattori-kun to bring them to you? " she smirked. " we have a sink down here. "

I smiled. " told ya you're the best. Though it's a pretty weak way of payback, I'll live with it until I can move. " I shrugged as Haibara rolled her eyes and went to fill the bucket.

" Oi Hattori! " I called. " you're not gonna make me freeze with only these tiny boxers on right? Can you get me my bag of clothes from the couch? "

A faint answer made my rage blossom. " ya mean dat pretty duffel bag ya got from 'Neechan? Alright I'll find it! " he called.

Haibara handed me the bucket and I mumbled a thank you. " it's boiling hot. I tweaked that sink a little so it'd make water, even in a bucket, boil or become ice cold like the one you were drenched in. " she smirked, happy with her ideas and I laughed a little.

" who wouldn't say you were a genius? " I asked happily.

" I would. " she relied stepping back as Hattori climbed down the stairs. " Hold fire until you see the whites of his eyes. " she snickered.

I grinned and Hattori came through the door. Immediately, I drenched him in the water. When I did a double take, there was a fake doll in the place where I dumped the water.

" Like it? " he asked grinning. " I figured you would do something like that. "

Suddenly Haibara let tears flow past he eyelids. " don't come Hattori-kun! Run! " she sunk to her knees shaking. " that's not Kudou-kun! " she screeched.

I snapped my attention to her and she looked at me encouragingly. I grinned evilly. " Shut up, Sherry. " I snapped and purred her name. " Hand me the Silver Pistol. " I commanded cooly.

" Run, Hattori-kun! " she whimpered. " you'll be killed. They've already killed Hakase. " she whispered turning her gaze to the man sleeping at the computer with tomato juice dripping around him.

" Who are ya? 'N' why do ya look like Kudou? " he demanded.

I titled my head at him innocently but smirked. " the name's Detective KID. Kaitou KID's exact opposite in every way. And that includes the ' no one gets hurt' motto. " I lulled my head around and looked at him hungrily. " ya know? I'm bored with only one victim as a warning to Kudou. Wanna volunteer? " I asked freezing my gaze.

" No. Unless ya decide ta hurt someone close to me. " he shrugged. " da moment Kudou told me his story was da moment I prepared myself fer death. I knew dat I could die because of what I know and dat others might because d'ey are close ta me. But Kudou trusted me with his secret, so I won't allow ya ta hurt others and yer way damn wrong if ya think Kudou will allow it too. " he spat.

" Sherry, hurry up and slide the Silver Pistol to me. " I spat. She did as she was told after a moment or two. Cautiously, I picked up the gun and pointed it at him. " any last words, Hattori Heiji? " I asked smirking cooly.

" tell Kudou, if he doesn't avenge me, I'll make Kami-sama drop him into hell. 'N' ta make sure he doesn't let Kazuha end up with some asshole. Got dat message? "He spat.

" Loud and clear. " I smirked cocking the gun. " goodbye, Hattori Heiji. " I pulled the trigger as Hattori stood there with hands in his pockets and glaring at me past his famous SAX hat.

The gun released a stream of water and Haibara allowed real laughter to echo through the room, shakin the Hakase awake. I smirked innocently at him with my head tilted and put the gun down.

" you fuckin' bastard. " he shook. He embraced me in a brotherly hug. " what did I do ta deserve such a scare? " he asked sliding down the wall.

" my body was sensitive to all temperatures at that moment and I was burning up like I had a 107 degrees F, you literally dunked me into the Arctic Ocean. Told ya I would kill ya. At least you weren't asleep 'cause it would have been way less entertaining. " I smiled at Haibara and helped her up from the floor.

" though he wasn't prepared with a back up for after the bucket. I acted on impulse, and now you owe me a brand name wallet Kudou-kun. " she said dusting off her knees and shoulders.

" got'chya. " I nodded. " hand me my clothes man. " I spoke to Hattori who bent down and threw the bag.

" if Karma and Satin ever had a son, it would be you. " he mumbled after tossing me the bag.

I grinned boyishly. " you bet'ch ya. " I said takin the bag and heading into the nearest bathroom. " I'm bathing! " I shouted over my shoulder. " give me an hour. "

" whatever! " Hattori said.

" that's a good idea! When you get out, your muscles should be back to normal! " Haibara called after me still using her monotone.

" great! " I grinned to myself and shut the door behind me. Looking into the mirror, I smiled happily. " sup, Kudou Shinichi. Long time no see. "

Suddenly, my head throbbed, asking me to remember something. I stumbled to the tub and started it, ignoring the pain and wriggling out of my mini boxers. I showered and let my muscles unwind.

I plunged into the tub and relaxed. After a moment, I remembered what was nagging me. ' The boy in the photo next to me. He was the boy who I considered my best friend. I knew Kaitou KID when I was eight. That boy became Kaitou KID the Second. Yet I can't remember his name! ' I splashed the water in frustration and rose from the water.

Rinsing myself in the shower after releasing the drain for the tub, I tried several methods to jog my memory. However, my efforts bore fruitless and I grew even more frustrated.

Without thinking, I put on the same clothes as I did as Conan. The dark jeans and black blouse. Only this time, I wore the white version of my bow tie. Looking in the mirror, I remembered something else about the boy; he looks like me. A lot like me.

Coming out, I grabbed all of my clothes and said goodbye to Haibara and Hakase, leaving the house with Hattori.

I explained to him what I remembered and the photo, and what I was doing today and last night as Conan. He was a bit shocked that I didn't call the police, but he admitted that he would've been even more shocked if I did.

As we strolled into my library, he spoke. " Kudou, I agree with ya on dat ding. " he sighed sinking into a chair.

" what thing? " I asked sitting across from him.

" I don't think KID should be arrested either. I think his heists are actually fun. I wish I could go ta more of his heists! Those riddles are da things dat draw detectives like us away from dose stupid pools of blood we see all da time. " he said standing.

" I know. " I stood and laughed. " I know! It's an escape to you too than? " I asked. " best things we, as detectives, could ever run into. And that's because..."

" ' no one gets hurt'. " Hattori said. However there was another voice in there too.

I whirled. " KID! " I breathed. Hattori looked too.

There stood Kaitou KID by the open window. His cape flowed behind him and his top hat was pulled low to shadow his upper face. His usual poker face was in place, accompanied by that signature smirk.

Outside of the window was the starry sky and a moon close to being full. It seemed to love playing hide and seek with the clouds and added affect to his appearance. I could only take a gasp. I couldn't admit it, but he was beautiful. His monocle was glinting and his outfit seemed to glow like the moon.

" I'm so glad you both feel that way. Now I know I won't regret coming here in person to give you both invitations to my heists. " he laughed snapping his fingers. Two small smoke bombs blew above our heads and three papers fell from it.

I smiled with delight. " magic tricks. " I breathed. I picked up the papers and handed Hattori the one that said, ' Tantei-han'. It was scribbled in elegant script and I found one addressed to 'Meitantei-san' too.

I gasped as I saw who the third one was addressed to. " Omygod. " I breathed out excitedly.

" wha? Wha? Come on Kudou! Tell me! " Hattori whined. I shoved it into his face. He scanned it for a moment and laughed.

" Deshou? " I asked.

KID cleared his throat. " can you explain why me giving Tantei-kun a letter is so amusing? " he asked in an annoyed toy.

We stopped laughing and Hattori nudged me. " Oi, are ya gonna tell him? " he asked seriously.

I looked at him and that at KID who replied, " you mean about Tantei-kun's secret? Are you in on it too? " he whined slightly. " maybe I should tie you up and interrogate you. " he said thoughtfully after cupping his chin.

" sorry, but even if you pulled the most torturing tricks out of your hat or sleeves, we'd never spill. " I said seriously looking at him and than at Hattori.

Hattori nodded. " after all, it's the reason why this guy's gone so long. We can't say a word until he decides. "

" But that would mean putting your very life in danger. " I said seriously, leaning on Hattori's back, who leaned on mine too. " we wouldn't want our entertaining thief to die now would we? " I asked cooly.

Hattori shook his head. " that would make K-C-Conan-kun very sad. " he put his hand to his forehead and sighed. " we thank you for that invite! " he said bowing slightly and grinning.

KID was shocked. " looks like my role has been stolen from me. " he chuckled. " but do me the favor of giving that to Tantei-kun? " he asked offering us both flowers.

" of course. " I smiled. " anything for our thief and mini detective. " I chuckled.

" well than, I'll be taking my leave. " he said bowing happily. " ja ne! At my next heist. " he raised to fingers and jumped out of the window. His hang glider could be seen in the distance.

" well? Hurry up 'n' open it, Tantei-kun! " he snickered. I fumbled with the letter, no idea why I was so excited.

" no. Not yet. " I sighed stopping. " KID expects Conan to open this in two weeks, so that's what I'll do. " I dropped the letter on the table. " in the mean time, I'll show you that picture. " I said walking out of the library quickly.

" oh! " he gave a spirit yell and we speed walked up the stairs. We reached the end of the hall and I pushed the picture.

It spun a few times before stopping to show the picture of me, Kaitou KID the First, and the boy who I couldn't remember.

Hattori gave a low whistle. " you look so alike. " he breathed.

" I know. " I said. " yet I can't remember his name. " I said touching the photo. " and I can remember almost everything but Kaitou KID and this boy. " I said sighing. " I don't understand. It's so frightening. " I said turning to him, I felt my face morph into hurt.

" I know Kudou. There are times when, what we can't remember, drives us nuts! " he sighed leaning next to me.

" god man. You're the best friend I've ever had. "

" I wouldn't say that until you've remembered that guy. " he said a bit bitterly, nodding his head to the forgotten boy.

I chuckled. " I don't know Hattori. I just don't know. "

thank you for reading! Now I have to go and read everyone else's updates! You'll see what flowers they got next chapter! Sorry it's super long... I did promise he would turn into Shinichi this chapter so... Anyway, sorry for any typos that aren't sleeping mistakes. Ja ne!

~ Crescent


	3. Chapter 3

Chappie three!

Omg! I looked at the amount of words for last chapter and almost fainted in shock. HOLY SMOKES! 30,000+ words! I've never written that much! So I'm sorry to you guys who sat there reading I and wondering when it would end.

I'm pretty sure I got everyone's replays down so far! And again, if I couldn't PM you your reply, you should find it at the bottom. If it's not there, tell me in a review! And add some other nice things and thoughts about the story... Ya know, so it doesn't look weird? Ha!

Anyway, I DISCLAIM every part of this story except for the plot line! Thank you, an all rights reserved to it's rightful owners. Also, I don't know what chloroform smells like, but let's just say strawberries, because its from KID.

Enjoy!~

Mouri Detective Agency

3:00 am

Day before Conan's "vacation".

Ran's POV

I knew, something was wrong when I woke up. A strong smell of strawberry and almonds perfumed my room. For a moment, I thought I had been kidnapped, but rising up from my bed and seeing as that I wasn't tied down, I relaxed.

I glanced at the digital clock on my night stand to my left. " Mou...3 am? " I pouted. Suddenly, I froze in realization. There was faint traces of smoke in the room, and the strawberry smell was what I recognized after playing around in Hakase's lab.

' Chloroform.' My brain supplied quickly. ' and a lot too, since I feel so disoriented. ' I calculated, standing slowly. ' who could seriously pull this off that was around me? ' I thought leaving the room, but not before opening my window slightly to air it out.

I swung the door open quietly, and it revealed the dark hall. I relaxed a bit more when I heard Otou-san's loud snoring as he slept peacefully in his room. I smiled slightly at myself. ' Mou... Otou-san.' I thought flipping the switch to the kitchen light.

Almost not noticing the slightly wrinkled paper on the table, and a beautiful rose carefully placed over two buds, I walked I to the kitchen and then did a double take. " no way..." I breathed frantically snatching the paper up.

' did this come from Conan-kun's nocturnal visitor? ' I asked, barely containing my excitement. I turned my body so it wasn't shadowing the paper and read it.

I shrugged and then re-read it. Carefully, as though afraid, I felt my eyes slowly look up from the paper and to the roses. ' Secrecy. ' I translated immediately. ' the visitor suspected I wouldn't believe Conan-kun's excuse, so he left a message without Conan-kun knowing. ' I deduced quickly.

Years of being friends and a love interest with Shinichi, made me take on my father's job as a detective. Seeing as I was already surrounded by bodies, I shrugged at the idea, not particularly bothered by it.

' Plus, I'm surrounded by detectives and police. ' I sighed as I sat down at the table with a glass of water. ' Shinchi, Otou-san, Hattori-kun, Hakuba-san, and even Conan-kun for cryin' out loud! No wonder I've been so influenced. ' I thought bitterly. ' at least I know where to go for training. A few hours with Shinichi or Hattori-kun and Conan-kun, and you were asking for a body in front of you. ' I chuckled at my own strange behavior.

' oh yeah, KID's heist will be some time this week. I wonder if he'll invite Shinichi - if he came home, which she had a feeling he would- and Hattori-kun. ' I mused, twirling the rose fondly in between my fingers. ' Since I doubt Kazuha-chan would come without him. It also seems like Hattori-kun gets super excited to come to Tokyo. Yet, there's no one here but Conan-kun and Otou-san for him...' My mind trailed off and I gasped, clenching the rose's stem tightly in realization.

" he knows..." I breathed . " Hattori-kun must know Conan-kun's secret. Since he never hangs out with Otou-san. " I shrugged off my thoughts and added them to a file I had on Conan-kun, hoping to return to them later.

Sighing as the thoughts finally left my head, I grinned slightly impishly. ' Now to find out who Conan-kun's so lovey-dovey with nocturnally. Since he doesn't seem to have a crush in his day time life. ' I thought sipping my water. I then choked and coughed as a thought stuck me like lightening.

" Of course! " I whispered excitedly. " day life...night life. " I smiled brightly and weighed the idea in my head.

' of course, this would only work if Conan-kun was really lying about who he was. ' I thought cautiously. ' but still! ' I squealed in excitement, knowing it was rubbing off from Yukiko-san earlier...today...when I had dinner...

I gaped at myself in mock shock, and everything clicked. ' Mou! ' I smirked playfully. ' KID-san, if you're gonna put me to sleep and take my place at dinner to be with Conan-kun, then say something! ' I giggled to myself. ' I could've helped! ' I pouted crossing my arms over my chest.

" so KID is Conan-kun's nocturnal guest and love interest. " I smiled lovingly at the pair's image in my head, already a huge fan. " life just got a little more interesting. " I sighed happily, taking my drink to my room-along with a tall glass for the flowers-and shutting off the light in the kitchen.

The pair's image was KID looking fancy-smancy as usual, with his monocle glinting and the hat tilted down carefully to hide his features. But Conan-kun was beside him, rolling a soccer ball under his foot carefully. They were exchanging words that I couldn't hear from far away, and exchanged smirks. I knew those looks from Shinichi, when he had just figured out the criminal's trick. I nodded approvingly at the couple, ignoring their age differences at the moment before placing the flowers on my nightstand and nestling in between my sheets.

' after all... ' I yawned. ' Conan-kun might as well be lying about his age too. ' I retraced my thoughts and they shifted into Shinichi for a while.

I noticed it, and so did Shinichi, probably. Our love was growing extremely weak and growing more into a sibling love than couple's love.

' I love Shinichi from the bottom of my heart, but not as a lover anymore. ' I admitted bitterly. ' I confessed to him a long time ago on that plane, and I remember how I said that I remembered hearing Conan-kun's scream. I played it off to be KID in disguise, but now that my suspicions about Conan-kun are indestructible, I know that Shinichi really was on that plane. And probably next to Conan-kun, who was providing information and not using the bathroom as he claimed to be. ' I thought sleepily.

' he must've been in second class or something and that why I didn't notice. Besides, it wasn't like I got to see all of the passengers. ' I added. ' Shinichi could've been on that plane. ' I snapped back to my point. ' anyway, I confessed to him and he confessed to me a long while later. We never gave each other answers, and I guess next time we meet, we'll have to. So we can both move on. ' I thought, strengthening my resolve before drifting off to sleep.

I glanced lovingly at the roses that bathed in the moonlight that streamed from her now closed window, and nodded at them. " okay... " I whispered. " secrecy, it is, KID-san. " I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall into peaceful, and dreamless sleep. All courtesy of the chloroform and sleeping gas mix of toxic air in swirling around her room.

Later that Morning

9:53 am

Ran's POV

I woke up feeling completely regenerated! " ah..." I stretched happily. " I feel so..." I took in a deep breath. " nice! " I squealed, sliding my window open.

" Oi, Ran? Are you awake? It's already nine! " came Otou-san's voice from the kitchen. " I went down to Poirot and bought us some pancakes since I was starving. " he replied as I walked into the room, fully dressed in an outfit to go out.

" great dad. " I said smiling. Seriously, why was she so giddy? Was it because of her new discovery? Or because she finally decided to let Shinichi go?

" here. " he said smiling and placing the plate of pancakes in front of me. " Eri called. Said she wanted to thank you for the dinner invite. " he shrugged settling down himself. " oh yeah, she asked how you did those handcuffs after you went home with the kid. "

I jolted up a this information and felt myself grin. " oh that? Conan-kun figured it all out and it went smoothly. He's really a good luck charm. I hope we won't run into any murders without him. " I shrugged and smiled happily, as though the sun came out.

" he told me it was all about the fake safety lock. " he shrugged. " whined about wanting to take them to Hakase's for inspection. " he smiled. " at least he'll be off our backs for a while. When he comes back, we get the payment as usual for every three months, and it's all good. " he said biting the last of his pancakes away.

I drank down some juice and then got up. " I'll take your plates too dad. " I offered. He gratefully placed them on top of mine and mumbled a 'thank you' before standing up himself.

" well, I'll be in the office all day. If I get a case I'll call you. " he said stretching his arms a but and strolling to the door. " have fun wherever you're going. " he smiled and lifted a hand as he disappeared into the hall.

I smiled a little impressed that he had noticed the detail. Usually, he didn't think to hone his skills at home too. Maybe Conan-kun's sudden vacation was affecting us, like we should be a little more cautious with what we do. I smiled briefly at the thought and glanced at my wristwatch.

" ikenai! " I gasped. " it's already 10:30? I'll be late to meet up with Sonoko! " I whined quietly.

After making sure that everything was in order here in the house, and checking my bag to see how much money I had, I walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind me. I figured that since Otou-san had a bunch of beers and snacks down in the office, he wouldn't go upstairs, so I locked the door just in case.

I walked to the nearest bus stop and waited patiently, smiling happily when the bus arrived. It was getting quite cold out, so I was glad I wore skinny jeans and long white-tinted-silver boots for my legs, but my top only consisted of a nice blouse and a silver mini blazer. Unconsciously, she was following KID's fashion statement. I payed the fee and sat alone in one of the seats, watching the scenery roll by.

I chuckled when I remembered where my thought were when I chose the outfit. ' Conan-kun and KID-san. They're the best match ever. Complete opposites. While Conan-kun is a kid, he's undeniably mature for his age. However, KID was man around her age of eighteen, and acted as childish as Conan-kun should be. ' I mused, drawing a picture of a rose on the fogged glass without really paying attention.

I perked up in time to hear that my stop was next. I was meeting Sonoko at a cafe somewhere near Edoka... Suddenly, I pulled out my phone grinning. I searched through my contacts for about five seconds and chose one, smiling brightly when the line picked up.

" Ran-chan? " the voice came gently, as though she was laughing.

" Aoko-chan! " I grinned but kept my dynamic tone quiet to not disturb the people around me. " I was about to head to a cafe with Sonoko and we're about to go shopping. I heard there's a big sale at the mall, right off the outskirts of Edoka. Would you like to join us? " I asked.

There was a pause and the sound of ruffling papers. " okay, sure! What time? " she asked happily.

I looked at my watch. It was a ten minute walk from the bus stop to the cafe, and Aoko was five minutes away from the outskirts of her town. " I would say in about twenty minutes? " I asked. Five minutes for her to get ready, ten to get there, and five waiting for anyone who was late.

" Sounds good. Umm..." She hesitated.

" yes? " I asked gently.

" is it alright if I bring my childhood friend along? Do you remember him? His name is Kuroba Kaito. " she asked, uncertainty laced her voice and I laughed briefly.

" Sonoko wouldn't mind, and I don't. Sonoko has been complaining how there was only us two and no one else. She'll be happy to know the number of people attending doubled. " I said pressing the button to alert the bus driver I was getting off. " so see you in twenty? " I asked.

" twenty it is! " she chirped happily, and I snapped my phone shut as the bus came to a stop.

I quickly rose from my seat and left the bus, waking briskly away from it with my hands shoved in my mini blazer's pockets. The bus gave me a strange feeling, like someone who was trained to, had kept their gaze on my the entire ride.

I shivered at the thought and drew my cell phone out again, wondering if I should call to check up on Conan-kun. I decided against it though, the moment my mind let KID flash through it. ' right. ' she smiled. ' if Conan-kun was with KID-san by now, then I shouldn't interrupt their time together. ' I thought giggling. I felt like Sonoko at the moment.

After a while, I reached the small and cozy cafe and was met with a frantically waving Sonoko, who was already sitting with a guy she recognized to be Kuroba Kaito. I smiled as I approached them with a small skip in my step. " good morning, Kaito-kun and Sonoko. " I said sliding in next to her. " where's Aoko-chan? " I asked, my curiosity piqued.

" toilet. " he said immediately. " said she felt like something was wrong with her makeup and went to check it. " he whipped out several beautiful flowers by the name of Burgundy, Japan, and Pink roses.

I blushed as my mind supplied me the translation. " of I wouldn't say I deserve 'Unconscious Beauty' ..." I said holding out the Burgundy for Sonoko to see. " but I understand your hidden message in the Japan rose. Aoko would be pleased... " I grinned.

" what does the Japan rose mean? " Sonoko asked. I looked at her in mild surprise. " I don't run into this flower often, so I forget its meaning. " she said gesturing to the said flower.

" it means ' Beauty is your only attraction', meaning he isn't trying to flirt with me, but being a simple gentleman. " I said as he grinned happily.

" and the pink one means friendship, grace, or admiration. " Sonoko nodded as Aoko suddenly bent over them all.

" Bakaito can be a real gentleman, but don't expect it to last long. Unless..." She wavered and she flopped down next to the said man.

" Unless? " Sonoko asked.

" unless the night has a full moon. It's like he turns into a full blown gentleman without any flaws. I think I remember someone like that, but the memory is vague. " she said rubbing one temple.

" I'm right here you guys! What you're doing is very rude you know. " he stated crossing his arms over his chest and huffing silently.

The one in white huffed, crossing his arms over his chest childishly after the mini detective spoke. The detective laughed and KID swooped him into his arms, placing a teasing kiss on the unsuspecting boy's forehead.

The boy's face blew up beat red and the blush even rushed passed his neck. He fought against the thief's hold, but the grip was steel tight. I remembered the boy giving up and allowing his bangs to shield his eyes away from the thief's intense gaze. I could only watch then fondly for a moment more before passing out with everyone else.

"N-chan! Ran-chan! " Aoko-chan's voice echoed far away.

I snapped out of my stupor looking at her. " sorry guys. I was...thinking about something. " I smiled gently.

" well Sonoko-chan and I are ordering drinks, do you want anything? " she asked after a sigh. She got up and Sonoko followed.

" hot chocolate sounds perfect. " I breathed happily.

" me too! " Kaito-kun grinned.

The girls went to join the long line at the cashier and I took the chance to inspect Kaito-kun amusedly. " you'll take care of him right? " I whispered excitedly leaning forward.

He arched an eyebrow and took a moment to understand. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, sinking back into the cushions of the booth. " no need to worry Ojou-san. " he smirked. " I won't allow 'my' Tantei-kun in other hands. His heart is mine, and I'll send a heist note before I snatch it away completely." He smirked evilly but it had a large tinge of kindness.

" so you know he has some secret too? " I asked smiling, happy that I earned a promise from thief.

" yes. " he hesitated and his look grew dark. " but I'm the slightest bit afraid to find out about it. "

" why? " I asked seriously, watching his face carefully. " does he say anything? "

" I can't tell you that many details, since I know he will tell you soon, and with his own strength..." I nodded, accepting his words. " but he refers to himself as 'Pandora's Box' , that if we open him, the secrets could kill us all. He says that... " he cleared his voice and looked at me for approval.

I nodded happily. " go ahead, I heard from him you specialized in voice arts. "

He grinned before striking on the most wistful face and sighing. " 'if you get any closer to the truth, you'll never be able to escape it's catch. ' " he looked at me once more and smiled sadly. " not knowing what was inside Pandora's box was what made her open it. However, once you know what's inside, it's not interesting anymore. ' " he smiled sadly and shrugged.

I felt myself want to cry. " My poor little Conan-kun. " Kaito-kun twitched and I was baffled, trying to figure out what I had done wrong. I chuckled, completely entertained. " Sorry. " I giggled. " Your Tantei-kun, "

He looked embarrassed and his faced flushed slightly.

I cleared my throat and continued. " He's suffering so much to protect everyone. Yet anyone who isn't involved already, can only watch from the sides as the truth continues to beat his willpower up. " I sighed helplessly. " I could only cheer him on discreetly. " I looked at the man in front of me pleadingly.

" I know what it's like. He won't share his pain with anyone who isn't already directly involved. " he shook his head and looked torn between admiration and crying.

" but he shares his pain with you. " I exasperatedly said. " you haven't realized it yet, but he becomes suddenly ten times brighter when he gets your heist notes. And especially giddy when he gets an invite. Those riddles are his life savers, " I said seriously. " he needs your heists and riddles and tricks. He needs you and your heart in every way. You might say he's yours, but you have to realize you've become a slave to him as well. What you are doing to him, will come back to you just as strong. " I said.

By this time Kaito-kun's face had grown the same shade as one of Conan-kun's dark pink roses. As he stuttered a reply, I couldn't help but smile at his sudden bashfulness. " I-I know that. But I like the upper hand, I'm more of a touchy-feely person, but he has a little more sense in the state of our hearts and minds. That's why we out match each other. Everything evens out, but in the end, I'm bigger and I have the upper hand until the time comes where he does and I sit back for a while. "

" gawd. " I gaped. " every single part of that sounds wrong. Wait until he's at least thirteen before you do anything . " I hissed light heartedly. " I want my Conan-kun to keep the little innocence he has left until the time comes. " I pouted.

He laughed a little. " you don't object to this relationship? " he asked mildly surprised.

" of course not. A part of me knew it was coming from an old memory of one of your most recent heists, and my subconscious prepared me for the blow. " I said tapping my temples. " I think you guys are the best match ever. Complete opposites that can't survive without the other. " I said the last part slower to cover up what was before that as the two girls arrived with our drinks.

" huh? What are you two going on about? " Sonoko asked, plopping into her original seat.

" a certain thief and detective. " I said. " without the other, one can't survive. They are the opposite sides of one coin. " I said, covering our tracks.

" would that certain thief be Kaitou KID? The one you so skillfully dressed up as today? " Sonoko teased. I felt my face grow warm and Kaito-kun looked amused.

" yes it was Kaitou KID. And FYI, I was thinking about KID's heist and how Conan-kun can't go when I chose this out. I was out of the door and down the street before I realized what I was wearing. " I explained, blowing my hot chocolate.

" ah... Right. Otou-san hasn't stopped talking about the new plan they have to catch KID this time. " Aoko-chan complained, running her temples gingerly.

Suddenly, Kaito-kun's situation smacked me across the face. 'Wow...' I thought wide eyed. ' this is as bad as it was with Shinichi and I. ' I glanced between the two as they argued. ' well, if I remember correctly, Kaito-kun was in love with Aoko-chan since their childhood years. This, of course, was before Conan-kun, the little player, could waltz in and steal Kaito away. ' I studied them a bit longer. ' it seems like their love is dying too and becoming more of a sibling love and rivalry with each other. I'm sure though, that Aoko-chan will end up with Hakuba-san. ' I hid a smile with the help of sipping my cocoa.

" let's get started shopping now. " Sonoko said glancing at her watch and turning to me. " you need to pick up Hattori-kun and Kazuha-chan from the airport at two right? " she asked.

I nodded. " after I drop off Hattori wherever he wants to go, I'll bring Kazuha-chan to join us in our shopping. " I planned. Everyone, but Kaito-kun, nodded approvingly. Yet the face on the man made me worry a bit. " what's wrong, Kaito-kun? "

" nothing. I just got the most brilliant idea for a magic trick. " he said evilly. Some how, the words tied knots in my stomach, knots of dread.

" oh really..." I said laughed nervously. " maa. I'll pay for the drinks as long as two other people pair up to pay for lunch. " I said pulling a few bills out of my wallet.

" why don't I pay for the drinks and you and Kaito-kun can pay for the lunch? Since you want to pay for something, and I doubt Kaito-kun will let us pay for him. " Sonoko shrugged, setting down the payment and tip before I could. " and you have bigger bills that should be saved for shopping and not wasted here. "

" Ok, " I shrugged. " then Aoko-chan has to buy us each a little something to remember this day. Like a key chain. " I said as we all walked out and down the bustling streets.

Aoko cheered. " yay! Momentos! " she laughed a bit. " I'll do what Ran-chan suggested and buy us all matching key chains! " she smiled brightly as we walked into the mall.

" perfect! " I smiled. " now we have all day to shop. " I looked at my watch calculating how much time I have before having to pick up my favorite Osakans.

" Ran-oku-sama~!" Sonoko sang. I braced myself and rolled my eyes. " are you gonna buy something for your husband?" She teased.

" I don't have a husband. " I said without blushing. Sonoko noticed this detail and gasped.

" Masaka! You finally have up on that detective geek?! " she exclaimed, looking at a saucy red dress for herself.

I shook my head. " not give up. Let go." I said gently smiling. " I don't think Shinichi loves me anymore and I don't really love him that way either. Or relationship is growing into more brother and sister type. " I sighed content that I was sharing the news.

Suddenly, Kaito-kun, who was being scolded for scattering confetti on the shop floors, came over. " well that sounds familiar. " he mumbled.

" yeah I noticed that too. " I smiled gently, a bit worried about my new friend.

He looked over at me with a bittersweet look. " Aoko was the girl I loved most. That was until I ruined her life. " by this time, Sonoko was admiring other mini skirts with Aoko-chan.

" ruined her life? " I asked quietly.

" yes. I'm sure that Kudou-Tantei geek would say the same thing. " he looked at a redish-orangish tie in his hand. " I ruined her family life. She literally has no father at home, because of Kaitou KID. He's been chasing me for over twenty years. Now Aoko lives her life often shrugging off that her dad isn't home, and I held a heist on her birthday once. " he sighed. " she invited Kaito Kuroba over and he couldn't make it, neither could her dad because of it all. "

" really? I have no idea what to say to that. " I looked at him. " because it never made me feel any better when some one said..." I paused and took a breath, eyeing his amused look. " 'awwww, sweetie, that's so sad...' ."

He chuckled. " I made up for that by writing, ' happy b-day Aoko' on a sky scraper using lights. I told her to look out her window and I blew up fireworks. I escaped before he police could arrive since they were receiving complaints. " he rolled his eyes and I squealed.

" that's adorable! " I gawked. Suddenly, Sonoko and Aoko-chan popped up again.

I jumped slightly at their quick appearances, but shrugged it off. " what's adorable? Did you find something? 'Cause it seems like Aoko-chan has the same style as you do. " Sonoko said, eyeing the rack behind me.

" no no. " I waved a dismissive hand. " Kaito-kun was just telling me about the time he wrote 'happy b-day Aoko' using lights on a sky scraper and woke up the neighborhood with fireworks for attention. " I smirked counting to three for Sonoko's reaction.

Right on cue, her mouth dropped open. " EHHH?!" She scanned Kaito-kun up and down, totally taken off guard. " you did that?! I saw that on the news! " she squealed. " I was like, ' awwwwah ah. It must be nice to have someone like that and doing things like that for me!~' "

I nodded. " I had to suffer from her endless rambling about a prince..." I smirked. " clad-in-white..." I said evilly, and he shuddered, bracing himself. " who would sweep her off her feet and steal her away from the place along with his other valuable prize. "

He groaned quietly. " KID would never do that to you. " he mumbled keeping his gaze somewhere else.

" Nani? Did you say something, Kaito-kun? " I asked challenging his skills of lying. I wanted to test this man and to test a theory I had myself.

" Yeah! I said how KID would probably take the jewel rather than Sonoko-chan any day! He'd only sweep her off her feet if he was drunk. " he smirked, accepting my challenge, but twisting it. He also watched Sonoko until she exploded.

We were all kicked out of the store when the shop owner came around and heard Sonoko's screeching. In the end, we were just cruising around until I glanced at my watch by accident.

I gave a sharp gasp. " oh no! It's already 1:15! "

" ehh?! But I thought they would be there by two? " Aoko-chan said tilting her head to the side.

" you're forgetting a key point. " Kaito-kun said suddenly, and I suppressed a grin. That's something he myst gave picked up from all of his detectives. " that the air port is at least 45 minutes away. However..." He turned to me.

" their flight arrives at two, they'll need some time to get luggage, bicker, find some snack, and have a quick break from the long plane hours before coming to find me. I should probably head out now still. They might not want a break or snack. " I said standing.

" we'll go, in the meantime, to a place for Aoko to choose out our key chains. Then we can meet up at the food court for lunch and meet this Kazuha-chan. " Kaito-kun planned.

" sounds good to me! " Aoko chirped up and Sonoko gave a nod.

" well, you don't have to walk me anywhere guys, I'll be fine. Just to shopping a little and I'll be back before you know it. " I smiled and waved before turning to leave.

" Matta ne! " Sonoko cried as I stood far away and waved. Like this, I watched their silhouettes turn and leave before I did the same. Quickly, I ran for the bus stop, knowing that the bus would be there when I arrived.

After about three minutes of jogging, I arrived at the bus stop to see the bus already there, as predicted. I got the bus driver's attention and he waited for me. When I got on, I offered him a breathless thanks and payed the fee. With a little panting, I dropped into my seat and watched the city roll by.

' I wonder if it'll work. My theory. ' I mused. ' this is the only way to test, and Kaito-kun will play along easily. ' I looked up and out of the window, watching license plates.

' geh! Ano ouna! ' I listed and chuckled. ' ah! That woman! ' I translated. I was sure Otou-san was the one who wanted that license plate. I continued watching the license plates and translating, while plotting my scheme.

' will it work, or will it not? How will he react? Is this a good idea? Will I be able to do it? Will Kaito-kun be able to handle him, if he reacts badly? ' my mind was playing twenty questions with me while I just did my best to answer. It seemed fine however. I could do this scheme, and maybe I can consult Kazuha-chan.

I watched the scenery a bit more before realizing my stop was coming up. I pressed the alert and waited patiently for the bus to come to a steady stop. " Shizume Airport stop, Shizume Airport stop. " a woman's voice called through the speakers. " all customers planning on exiting at Shizume Airport, please prepare. Thank you."

' do buses usually do that? What kind of bus did I get on? ' I was a bit taken aback since I've never seen this action before. However, I shrugged it off and approached the front of the bus. I jumped off carefully and looked around for the shortest route to the airport.

' I think this street should lead me there...' I mused walking down the street. Soon enough, I could see airport buses passing by. Then I wondered why I didn't notice all of the airplanes flying around my head. I ignored it and went into the airport; watching for the two Osakans.

Suddenly, I could hear two voices quarreling like squirrels for an acorn. I walked to them until I was only ten feet away, and I chuckled, very amused at the topic.

" Conan-kun would definitel' not do dat! He's eight! He can't solve a murder! " came Kazuha's voice. " he's not Shinichi-kun! "

At this Hattori-kun grumbled and I rewound their conversation. ' Shinichi-kun?' It was at that time that Hattori-kun's eyes wandered around and caught my questioning one. For a moment, I saw pity and an all knowing expression. ' what? '

He must've seen my confusion because his face suddenly lit up. " Oi, Kazuha! 'Neechan found us! " he said, stopping her from her one sided conversation.

" eh? " she searched around util she found me and I smiled brightly.

" Hiya! " I approached them now. " ready to go? I couldn't bring a car this time so we'll have to go by bus. " I said shrugging a bit sheepishly.

Suddenly, Hattori whispered something to Kazuha, whose face blanched and screwed up with realization. She hissed something back and Hattori gave an exasperated sigh and grumbled something back.

" wha-what is it? " I asked nervously.

Suddenly, Kazuha-chan yanked hard on my cheeks, and I recognized the action. " See? Heiji no ahou! How could she be dat guy?"

" she was actin' all weird..." He searched me up and down while cupping his chin. " did somethin' good happen ta ya 'Neechan? Yer all giddy and mischievous... Especial'y wit dat grin on yer face. " he asked.

I felt my face morph into a look of realization. " ohhhh... You thought I was KID and asked Kazuha-chan to pull on my face because I was acting a little weird. Well something good did happen, I was set free from my own trap. " I stretched my arms out a little and took a deep breath. " I can finally move on this time. "

Their faces morphed into horror and they looked at each other. " Kazuha, ya don' dink he alrea'y told 'er? " Hattori-kun mumbled.

" chow chow. N' 'ay he's do dat before we came. " she waved a dismissive hand. " I think she gave up on 'im." Kazuha-chan looked over at me and studied my face as we walked out of the airport. Their luggages made rolling noises as they trailed behind us.

I shook my head, already guessing who they were talking about. " no. Not give up, let go. " I said for the second time thing day. " I think the love Shinichi and I have is now more of a sibling love, not the couples love like you two. " I flashed a grin and gave them a moment to react, but it never came.

" dat's good Ran-chan! " Kazuha-chan laughed. " maybe Shinichi-kun was never da one really fer ya. Maybe he was meant ta be da one ta guide ya instead. " she smiled softly.

" did you meet Shinichi? " I asked. " because you've never called him 'Shinichi-kun' before. "

" a-ah. Ya I did. Heiji had a case dat Shinichi-kun was involved in so I met 'im dere. He and Heiji solved dat case like d'ey were havin' breakfast at dere table. " Kazuha-chan laughed.

" so he was all the way in Osaka? That case really makes him travel everywhere. " I whistled before we arrived at the bus stop.

" ya, dat day was on our newspapers, ' Hattori Heiji of the West and Kudou Shinichi of the East; working together! ' or ' East and West Reunite! ' ne? Kazuha? " Hattori-kun chuckled nervously

" that's cool. " I nodded when the bus arrived with a steady stop. The sound of gas released in a hiss rung in my ears. " so Hattori-kun, where do you plan on going? Unless you want to join Kazuha-chan and I shopping. Here is a guy there too. His name is Kuroba Kaito. Do you want to come. You won't be alone with Kaito-kun there. " I giggled slightly.

" nah, I'm goin' ta Hakase's house ta visit four eyes before he leaves fer vacation. " Heiji grinned. " maybe I can get 'im ta buy me somethin' in Europe! " his grin grew wider with excitement.

This perked my attention and I thought. " ok! Well Hakase's house is on the way to the mall, so it should be fine. " I shrugged and smiled. " give Conan-kun a hug for me before he leaves. He went to Hakase's last night before I could say goodbye to him." I watched him smirk in amusement and this added to my info.

' So Hattori-kun does know. ' I thought looking out of the window. Kazuha-chan and Hattori-kun were chatting a bit for themselves. ' if Hattori-kun knows, when did he find out? ' I racked my brain for the moment Hattori-kun began to act different to Conan-kun. However, his bus stop arrived and I gave him instructions to Hakase's , leaving Kazuha-chan to talk to me.

We chatted a bit by catching up with each other's lives. Very fun. Then we arrived at the mall bus stop, and I led the way, telling her about the people waiting for us.

" Aoko-chan is literally my mirror image. We look like twins, you'll be so surprised. And I think she'll like you too, she's almost the same as I am. She's a little more wild and can diss anyone off. Just get her that angry. But you'll definitely like her! " I squealed. It would be so much fun for us to become like a little group. I mean, you see Shinichi, Hattori-kun, Kaito-kun, and Hakuba-san all together, why can't we make a small group of besties?

I chuckled at my own childish thinking. " Yay! I wanna meet your long lost twin! How come you didn't introduce us last time? Didn't you say she was that rude keibu's daughter? How come we haven't met her at a heist? " Kazuha-chan asked, stopping me in mid-chuckle.

" actually, she's kinda anti-KID since, he was the one to take her dad away from her. " I shook my head sadly and Kazuha-chan's eyes looked ready to water.

" in that case, we'll get along great. " she mumbled quietly.

I chuckled nervously. " but it actually looks like she's a secret fan of his magic, motto, and returning of the jewels. She thinks its not fair to her though. Sometimes, there isn't heists on days Nakamori-keibu plans to stay home with his daughter. I say KID takes into consideration what his faithful keibu does. " I shrugged.

" seems like it! " she laughed. " is our stop this one?" She asked.

I followed her gaze curiously, which showed several people climbing off the bus and looking at a map with the area's name." AH! " I jumped up. " wait bus driver-san! " she called just as the doors closed. " this is my stop!"

The bus driver looked slightly annoyed but laughed. " ok, Ojou-san! Be more careful next time, the next stop is five miles from here with this route. You almost had to back track for a second. " his eyes twinkled and I knew he was a bit weird.

" thanks! I'll be more careful next time! " I smiled and bowed thankfully as he closed the doors. I gave a small wave as the bus drove away and there was a pink explosion of smoke on it soon after. ' yap parrii.' I thought. ' why this bus though? Why follow? '

Kazuha-chan and I chatted about Osaka and new clothes there. Before we knew it, we were at the mall and I found everyone loitering around.

" hi! Ran!" Sonoko called waving her hand. I smiled brightly and pulled Kazuha-chan who was smiling nervously. " Kazuha-chan too! " she smiled brightly and Aoko-chan pulled on Kaito-kun's arm to make him pay attention.

Kazuha-chan walked by my side and gave a small bow. " Hi! I'm Toyama Kazuha, nice ta meet ya! " she smiled brightly.

" ahh.. Osaka-Ben ? " Kaito-kun studied her curiously. " Maska, you're the girl always hanging around Tantei-han? "

" bad move. " I mumbled bracing myself.

" Hanging around?!" Both Aoko and Kazuha asked angrily.

" no I didn't mean it like that. Just every time I see Tantei-han, Kazuha-chan's always with him. Unless it's a murder and she didn't find the body or was with him when they found it. " he chuckled nervously.

" Kazuha-chan? " Aoko-chan asked.

Kazuha-chan shrugged. " I don' mind it, just so long as he tells me why he knows dat nickname. " Kazuha-chan eyes him suspiciously as we walked around.

" yeah yeah! " Sonoko piped up. " My KID-sama was the one to make that up for him! " she whined. " why would you know? "

" why would you know?" He retorted. I smiled encouraging him. " besides, I'm his biggest fan, my magic tricks are just like his! He even knows me by name. " he boasted smirking.

'Shit.' I thought, as my face blanched. " Aoko-chan, Kazuha-chan, why don't we go there?" I stuttered pulling them with me and glancing nervously behind me at Sonoko, who was about to blow up like a bomb.

" ah, okay..." They answered confused and I pushed them along.

" ohhhhhh! " Kazuha-chan snapped a finger. " Sonoko-chan's gonna blow, 'cause dat Kuroba-san boasted like dat. Oh he in fer some real fighting. " Kazuha-chan chuckled happily as she walked into the store. " ah! Cheap name brands!" She squealed an ran for a rack.

I smiled as Aoko-chan followed and watched them bond over shopping clothes. I turned my head to see Kaito-kun escaping with magic acts and Sonoko acting like Aoko-chan usually would. All without the mop in that crazy confetti mess.

Random bystanders threw money to them for the show , and Kaito-kun pulled out a black top hat with a red ribbon. I giggled. ' Kaitou KID's counterpart huh? Works pretty good! ' I watched as he turned it into a full blown magic show with the help of his 'beautiful assistant, Sonoko-chan!' And to that Sonoko would reply with a triumphant laugh popular girls make.

I was very entertained by the show and watched them for nearly an hour before Kazuha-chan and Aoko-chan came back to me.

" Ran-chan...hiidoi! " Aoko-chan cried. " I love Kaito's magic, why didn't you tell us he was performing?!" She whined like a kid who couldn't have candy.

" sorry, sorry! " I laughed. " you guys looked like you were having so much fun and I couldn't stop myself from watching." I turned my head to see Kazuha-chan staring blankly at the magic act and making sure her eyes followed every movement Kaito-kun made.

I was shocked. ' does she suspect him of being KID? Or being Shinichi? Or.. Or...' I racked my brain for something more probable and felt panic rise in my chest.

" he.." Kazuha-chan started. I felt my panic begin to rise to the point where you could hear a teapot whistling. ' no... You don't have any proof... He can't be anyone but Kaito-kun to you...' I thought. ' stop it Ran! ' I hissed mentally. ' you're so paranoid! Baka Baka Baka!'

" can he..." She turned to face us and pointed a finger in his direction. " can he busk like dat widout permission ? " she asked confused. " don't ya need ta ask da head manager ta do dat? "

I felt myself deflate with relief. ' told ya! ' my mind yelled at me. ' what were ya thinkin'? ' I was confused because it was like I had Kansai-Ben in my head. " we should tell him to out on his finale, it getting late. Then, if he doesn't get caught, we might not have to pay the manager a fee. " I shrugged. I walked over to the area and the girls followed behind me.

I caught Kaito-kun's eye and they gleamed with pure joy. I sighed and pointed to my watch, mouthing the words, ' finale' . He nodded slightly.

" ladies and gentlemen..." He sighed. " it appears I must disappear into the night now, and so... " he gestured to Sonoko. " I give you the finale! " he clapped and Sonoko sat down in mid air as though it was planned.

The crowd gasped. Kazuha-chan was gestured to come up to the 'stage'. " pass your hands through the area above, and below Sonoko-chan, to show the audience there is nothing holding her at all. " he grinned happily and Kazuha-chan nodded before following his instructions.

The crowd gave another collective gasp as Sonoko, stood up were she was, about three feet in the air. She smiled and gave another popular girl laugh and put her hand to her mouth.

Suddenly Kaito-kun snapped his fingers, and a purple fire started. It burned underneath Sonoko like she was an angel of hell. The fire burned without smoke and when Kaito-kun out it out with water, a smoke bomb went off, and Sonoko was sitting on a visible and brown bench like it was there the whole time. Kaito-kun held out his arms and gave perviously signed autographs out before taking more money and leaving the scene.

We were out in the parking lot when Aoko-chan growled and groaned. " how did you do it?!" She exclaimed finally. I laughed along with Sonoko and Kazuha-chan.

" a magician never reveals his secret! " we all said in unison, Aoko-chan just looked as us and sighed.

" whatever! " she waved a dismissive hand. We all walked and chatted when Aoko-chan suddenly gave a wild start. " oops! " she exclaimed. " I completely forgot about the key chains! " she squealed before finishing though her purse. " they're the only things I put into my purse. " she smiled.

I giggled. " I can't wait to find out what they look like! " then she pulled out a small goody bag and fished inside pulling out several matching key chains.

They were different colored roses inside a plastic rectangular prism. Along with some clear liquid mixed with sparkles of the same color of each rose. I admired them with glee. " so? Whose are whose? " Kazuha-chan asked excitedly.

Aoko laughed. " while I was the one to pick them out, Kaito was the one to assign them. Tell them who has which! " she nudged Kaito-kun who laughed in reply.

" for my lovely assistant..." He started, bowing wih a grin etched on his face. Sonoko smiled proudly and fondly. He picked an orange rose colored one. " Enthusiasm. A wonderful trait to be a good friend. " he explained.

Sonoko smiled, admiring the key chain and attaching it to her keys right away. " thank you, Aoko-chan. Kaito-kun. "

He turned to Kazuha-chan. " m-me?! " she squeaked, squirming in her spot. " I-I didn't know ya knew I was comin'. " she breathed.

" the moment Mouri-chan said that another girl was coming, I quickly thought up a flower for you. " he smiled and poof-ed out a flower from his sleeves. " a Tussie Mussie, for the girl whose fragrance never leaves the room. "

Kazuha-chan gazed at the flower in both of her hands with admiration. " my gosh. I never knew some one so thoughtful. " she sighed.

" its my pleasure to be engraving myself into your beautiful memories. " he smiled warmly.

" deta! " Aoko-chan whispered to Sonoko and I . " the gentlemen has arrived. It looks like the full moon is approaching! " she squealed.

I nodded and watched them chat before he gave her the key chain meant for her. " this is yellow. " she stated. " what does dat mean? "

" friendship, promise of a new beginning, gladness, joy, delight, and remember me. " he smiled warmly, placing his hands behind his back.

" of course I'll remember ya! " she squealed. " ya remembered me, so I should return da favor. " she looked at him happily and then at Aoko-chan. " Arigatou! Aoko-chan 'n' Kaito-kun!"

" no problem. " he turned to Aoko-chan. " ne? A-o-ko! " he grinned and Aoko-chan nodded in reply.

" it's Aoko-chan's turn! " I squealed. He nodded happily and held out a key chain to Aoko, who took it gratefully.

" purple? Why purple? " she asked gazing at into the prism.

" enchantment, Aoko. You have enchanted me, but the feeling is magic. " there was a shift in the atmosphere and I sensed them rolling over the thoughts. " did I chose the wrong one? " he whispered. His expression portrayed fear of loss. I could feel my heart sink for them and was grateful that Sonoko and Kazuha-chan were chatting about their key chains.

" no. " she whispered and gave him a hug. It was bittersweet and I felt my heart break and tears threaten to overflow. " you chose right Kaito. You are my enchantment. And like magic, it disappears without warning. " she breathed. I finally started to let my tears flow and I could taste the never ending river in my mouth. I sputtered a bit and spit my tears out, and I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief.

He hugged her back and buried his face into her hair. " I'm sorry you have to face this, Aoko. I'm sorry you met me like this. " he whispered.

" I don't regret a single moment. " she pulled away from the hug and smiled brightly. " you're the best, and you better let me meet who stole your heart away from me, or I'll decorate your room with fish. "

" geh! " he jumped away from her. "No! " he wailed catching the attention of several passerbys and our other two companions. " anything but that! I'll introduce you! I promise! When we're ready for it, 'cause you'll be so surprised. This is only if my feelings are accepted. " he mumbled.

" ha? " she tilted her head, but Kaito-kun was already I front of me, bowing happily.

" white, " he started handing out the key chain. " for purity, innocence, silence, and secrecy. " he whispered the last two and I gazed at him, drying my tears.

" that was beautiful, you know that? The type of angst you only see on TV dramas. " my voice quivered as I shakily took the key chain. " thank you. " I whispered and he smiled.

" I got one for Tantei-kun too. " he whispered, pulling one out of his pocket.

I gasped, but quietly enough so that only we could hear it. I gazed into the prism intently, feeling the message behind it. " you seriously think that? " I asked him, my voice crackled and I choked. " that's not true."

His eyes bore into my soul with that bittersweet gaze. His mouth was in a frown that looked like he was watching his lover being snatched away by someone else. His eye brows were portraying the feeling of hopelessness, and his cheeks were slightly hollow. He looked a lot less childish than usual and his eyes narrowed as if to ask, ' isn't the answer the most terrifying thing?' .

" hai. " he nodded. " but the scary thing is, it's tinged in black since its been stored under the wrong temperatures. " he shrugged. " do you think I should give it to him anyway?"

" black is death, but this one tells us how you feel and it holds many more secrets than a person could speak." I changed my gaze to him and spoke seriously. " Yet, that person can only hold them in their hearts. It's a perfect message from you, he'll understand. " I reassured him.

I watched his gaze wander over the landscape and gaze at the moon that was beginning to rise proudly. " I hope so. His specialty is riddles. " he chuckled and I joined him.

" what did you get for yourself? " I asked.

" well Aoko's is actually pink, so that when it gets cold, than it'll turn purple, it's hidden message. But mine is all purple. " he shrugged. " yours does the same thing, but shifts to a bunch of colors under temperatures. "

I froze. " you mean to tell me these are like mood jewelry pieces? " I yelled. Sonoko, Kazuha-chan, and Aoko-chan looked over.

" yes, but either they shift to one other color, or they shift through all. The state that they were in when I handed them to you is my message. " he explained with his hands up. We all relaxed.

" that's cool. " I shrugged. By this time, we had arrived to the place where Aoko-chan and Kaito-kun split off.

" ja. We should totally do this again soon, and while Kazuha-chan is still here! " Aoko-chan laughed.

" yeah! " Sonoko agreed. " I think we should do this next weekend. "

I shrugged and gave a smile. " fine with me. "

" I second that. " Kaito-kun said stuffing his hands into his pockets.

" I third that! " Kazuha-chan piped up.

" Kimari da! " Sonoko cheered.

Like this, only Sonoko, Kazuha-chan, and I were left. We admired the key chains and watched them change colors. By the time we had arrived to my house, the sun was completely gone, and the moon shone with all it's might.

" see ya later! " Sonoko yelled over her shoulder as she ran in the direction of her house.

" watch out for bad guys Sonoko-chan! " Kazuha-chan called after her. I sweat dropped, ' of course she would say that. ' I thought.

" let's go meet my dad and then have dinner. " I said, climbing the stairs to the second floor.

Kazuha-chan nodded and I unlocked the office door, stepping inside to see my dad bent over a file case with one beer next to him and two cigars in the ash tray.

" who are ya?!" Kazuha-chan demanded. " where's Oji-san?! "

" ah? Well if it isn't Toyama-chan. Nde? Where's that Osakan Tantei-bozu? " he asked briefly looking up from his work.

" he's at Hakase's. " I beamed. " do you have a case? Is that why I don't see a mountain of beer cans and a mini mountain of cigars? " I asked approaching him. Kazuha-chan closed the door and followed.

" ah. I'm working on an adultery, but it's been more complicated than most. " he rubbed his chin. " If that glasses brat was here, he'd say something that makes me solve the case with his ' al le le? ' or ' oka shi zou! ' . " he mimicked Conan-kun's movements.

" that's a first! " I laughed. " and I thought you wanted to get rid of him! "

" me taa! What changed yer mind? " Kazuha-chan asked.

" the fact that I've been living and sharing a room with him for almost two years is perfect for finding out that he's lying to us about something. " Otou-san shrugged, closing the files.

" I told ya! " Kazuha-chan reacted after a minute of silence. " I told ya he was lyin' 'bout 'is age! " she ranted.

" Maska! " I laughed. " then how come he hasn't changed? He isn't immortal. ".

" hmmm.." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion as though Conan-kun was in front of her.

" anyway, I was about to start dinner, any requests? " I smiled. " I went grocery shopping a few days ago, so we're pretty stocked up."

" did you buy pasta? I want pasta looking at this file. " Otou-san grumbled.

I looked to Kazuha-chan and she nodded in approval. " why pasta? " I asked.

" my client is having suspicions about his food, as though poison is being added little by little. Pasta was one of the first dishes that he noticed. However, it doesn't tell us when the food was beginning to be poisoned. " he sighed. " at least there's a good amount of evidence lying around. I know what to do. " he got up and stretched as I watched in awe.

" Otou-san... I've never seen you working so hard..." I clapped him on the back. " good for you! "

He grunted in reply. " I'm not about to lose my streak because my good luck charm isn't here. " he mumbled.

" hai hai. " I smiled. " Kazuha-chan can you help me with dinner? "

She nodded happily. " of course! " she looked around the room again. " so how did my luggage get here? Did you say you sent it? " she asked.

" yeah, some airports offer to send your luggage to your destination, so that your vacation can start, they get more customers, and so they be more money by charging extra. " I shrugged as we climbed the stairs to floor three.

" hmmm..." She mumbled thoughtfully. " do you remember where Heiji wanted to send his? " she asked carefully.

" no, he said that on his own. " I said as we walked into the kitchen. I began pulling out supplies for the dinner.

" pasta right? Should I make the sauce? " she asked.

" you mean like boil it in a pan? " I asked confused. " you do that? "

" ya, it's really good. I mean, da sauce turns kinda orangey colored, 'n' dat's good fer yer tummy so ya don't get tummy aches from da cold sauce. It's yummy! " she promised proceeding to put on an apron and setting a pan on the stove. " do ya have butter?" She asked.

I nodded. " in the fridge. " I replied before setting a pot of hot water on the stove.

Like this, we both made dinner and in no time at all, were eating and laughing at Otou-san's lame puns. By the time we had finished, it was late so we watched TV for half an hour before getting ready for bed.

As we were getting dresses into our pajamas, Kazuha-chan spoke in mumbled words that I believed I shouldn't have heard. Yet, I had to hear the warning. " be careful Ran-chan, the time is coming. It's changing, like the leaves of a tree. Enchanting. " she whispered to herself.

I didn't reply. All I knew is that Kazuha-chan was here for a different reason then she gave me and, that she knew something I didn't. It must be for my own good if I don't know. I knew my subconscious was running on automatic, something Shinichi had made happen, and was prepping me for whatever was to come. In no time at all, Kazuha-chan was snuggled under the covers of my bed, leaving space for me too.

" Oyasumi, Kazuha-chan! " I smiled happily, combing my hair a bit before sliding under the covers too.

"Oyasumi!...Ran...-chan..." She mumbled as she dozed off. I thought that the mall wasted reason why she was so tired.

I stayed in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling in the darkness. It's strange how comforting it was to whisper your thoughts to the ceiling. You knew the walls could keep your secrets better than a human being. However, walls can't talk. That's why we run to someone who can, to make sure someone agrees and that they can provide advice. It's a little stupid, but we're humans and not perfect beings.

I was thinking about Conan-kun. Taking all of my information and lining it up, waiting for some hint that gave me a lead to his secret. As always, there was none besides the occasional strange behavior when Shinichi is gone or is about to appear. I knew from his behavior when Shinichi could come and when he couldn't.

This of course, bought me back into the same theory. The one I made when I cracked the code to Conan-kun's phone. The one that said Conan-kun was a spy for Shinichi to watch over me. This theory often made me angry that he was doing something like that, but now that I've obtained fresh information from KID-kun, my theory doesn't fit well.

I spent two bourse mulling over this without realizing it. The only reason why I did, was because the house was completely silent, except for snoring, and that I saw my clock when I turned on my side.

Suddenly, there was a quiet and quick rap of knuckles against my window. Then the tapping slowed down and made tapping noises and scratches. I drew in my breath, realizing what it was.

' morse code. ' my mind supplied quickly, as I fluidly escaped the bed covers without waking my companion. I took two long strides to my window and saw a familiar rose, along with a hand from below the window tapping the message.

I'd studied morse code with Okaa-san before the divorce, and we often just played it to ourselves. We usually did it to tease Otou-san since he disk understand. It was quite hilarious! H would pout and grumble unintelligently while we laughed.

The code continued to repeat itself. ' come down stairs, in the office, no one is awake. ' it stated. ' let's have a midnight talk!'

I smiled to myself before opening the window quietly, and grabbing the hand. It froze and went rigid. I gave it a reassuring squeeze and it instantly relaxed. I made the hand open its palm, even though I had to reach down a few feet.

I took a finger and traced hiragana symbols into the glove, slightly rough so he wouldn't miss a symbol. ' wait a while, Kazuha-chan is a light sleeper. Just a few minutes, I'll bring a snack.' I replied grinning.

I rushed out of the room swiftly without making a sound, but not before waving a hand in front of Kazuha-chan's face and taking the rose from the windowsill. I closed the door quietly behind me and tiptoed away from the rooms and into the kitchen.

I grinned thoughtfully, if it was even possible, and swung the refrigerator open. I swept the shelves with my eyes and found what I was searching for. Cake! Death by Chocolate cake!

I took the entire cake, two plates, forks, and knives, and allowed the refrigerator's door to swing shut. I giggled quietly at the expression I imagined he would make the moment he saw this. Taking another look around, I left the rose I had on the table, face palming myself mentally for not leaving it in the vase back in the bedroom.

Leaving the apartment with keys, I locked the door again behind me while balancing the cake. I rushed down a floor and opened the door I knew would be open anyway.

I strolled in and closed the door, locking it. I set the stuff on the table and waited for him to make his grand entrance. I smirked. " if you don't show up in five seconds..." I smiled sweetly. " you won't get any of this cake. "

There was a poof of smoke on the couch I front of me and I looked at it expectantly. As promised, KID showed, with his figure reflecting the light made by the room.

He was stretching his arms over the couch and hand his legs crossed, his head was tilted down with an unmistakeable smirk and his monocle glinted, hiding his eye.

" sup Mouri-chan? " I smiled, taking a slice out and setting it in front of him.

" sup yourself. " I replied. " it's like ten thirty. Yet my entire house is asleep, tired as a mule from today. And you have the nerve to bug me when I was about to get my precious sleep? " I asked.

" yes I have the gall to pull it off. " he shifted his face to a goofy grin. " but I came because I wanted info. You have info I don't have, and vice-versa. I would love to hear from you. " he said taking a bite of his cake.

" right. " I nodded. "This is good for the both of us." I said. "I'll get info I want, and you'll get info you want." I said turning the idea over in my mind.

" point exactly. " he muttered through a mouth full of cake. " so tell me everything about Tantei-kun. When you first met, his behavior, and how he acts around people that seem suspicious. I have a feeling Mouri-chan..." He started to explain his reasons. " that Tantei-kun is lying about his age and his name. Everything he's told us is a lie. I know it. " he said strongly, putting his cake down for once.

" I have a strange feeling too. " I admitted. " so I'll tell you everything, since the first day he arrived, to now. " I promised.

KID's gaze never left mine, unless it was to check where his fork was going and where his cake was. He listened carefully to the story, and nodded encouragingly for more occasionally. However, I couldn't read his reactions to the details of the story.

Once I finished, he sunk back further into the sofa and poof-ed away his uniform, turning it into a regular tee-shirt and jeans. He only kept his monocle, but I, strangely, found it normal. " you said he was against a bookshelf when you asked his name? " he asked carefully.

" right. " I nodded. " is there something wrong with that? " I asked.

He sighed slightly. "Mouri-chan, think about it. He was in that Kudou-Tantei geek's house. Against a bookshelf. "

I thought carefully, recalling any details. " it's a footy memory, but I'm sure behind him there was..." I gasped.

" what is it? " he pressed eagerly. " is there something important? " he leaned forward and I searched past his monocle.

I nodded and gulped. " Edogawa Ranpo. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. " I breathed. " the books he looked at quickly when I asked his name. "

He jumped up excitedly. " that's it! He got the name there! Now we know he has an alias. " he danced a bit but froze as some noise occurred at the front door.

It swung open and I gasped at the person there. " your proof? " a cool voice called. " what do you have other than circumstantial proof that Edogawa Conan has an alias? " The person continued as the door swung to a close and the nearest lamp flickered to life, bringing some light to the face of the intruder.

One Kudou Shinichi stood panting at the door, searching the entire room under one swift gaze. " hiya Ran. " he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. " long time no see. "

Cliffy! Yay! I hope you enjoyed this! I loved writing it, and I'm sorry it's a bit long again. Umm... Oh yeah! Now that I have everyone where I want them, this part of the story should go smoothly. I call this the 'transition' arc of the story. Anyway, please review and tell me how it is! I promise I'll reply! Ja ne! See you in a week? Maybe?

~ Crescent

Ps. RoseAngel16: thanks for your review! I'm glad you thought it was funny! I cracked myself up a little too. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as last! I await your best review! Ja!


	4. Chapter 4

Chappie four!

This is for my reader who requested that I update before Monday night! You owe me a nice review...

Anyway, I replied to everyone's review and it seems like I made a mistake last chapter. One of my readers informed me that it's not 'Edoka', but 'Ekoda' . I thinks they're right. It seems we can't really tell the difference when we hear it in the anime.

So now...DISCLAIMER: I don't own this, only plot line. Other legal stuff...blah blah blah... No one reads it... Yeah, I think you all get the idea.

Alrighty! Now onto the story! And remember, if you didn't get a reply from me to your review, you'll find it at the bottom!

Mouri Detective Agency (office floor)

Ahhh... 3 am? Midnight? Somewhere around there

Date? Same day Conan leaves for "vacation" same night Hattori arrives.

Shinichi's POV

I was panting a bit. My sweat trickled off of my brow, and I was tempted to wipe it. However, I knew it would be stupid since a high schooler like me can't possibly get sweaty by only running a fourth of a mile. That's once around our track at school.

Leave it to Haibara not to tell me my muscles would be exhausted by the slightest running. Or that I would have a fever for the first day or two. Yeah. I should've known.

I swept the room and let my eyes rest briefly on another figure in the room. I let my face stretch into a false smile and said, "Hiya Ran." I had to bite my tongue momentarily so that I would attach the 'neechan' bit. "Long time no see."

Ran let a full smile spread across her face. "Shinichi!" She whispered. "What are you doing here?" She asked as I watched her stand up and turn a lamp on.

A soft and warm yellow glow filled the room. Not enough light to raise suspicion to anyone who passed by the office door. My breath caught in my throat when I saw who was sitting across from Ran's previous seat.

"Why hello there." I nodded curtly. The stranger followed. "Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" I smiled but my voice was quite tense.

"This is my boyfriend, Shinichi!" Ran said happily. Immediately, I felt my brain set up red flags and flares. "His name is Kuroba Kaito." Her face radiated with happiness that seemed to be intensified by the lamp in the room.

"Ah." I nodded. "Nice to meet you, Kuroba-kun." I greeted, holding my hand out to shake with his.

"Kaito. " he said grasping my hand firmly. He shook it with a grin. "Just Kaito is fine." He said as we both took a seat.

"I thought you couldn't come home for a while." Ran said softly as she sat beside Kaito-kun. He hands were folded neatly in her lap, and her knees were together. Kaito-kun set an arm around her and she snuggled into it after a moment.

I watched them intently. Analyzing every bit of Kaito-kun's behavior. "I know. I'll only be here for two weeks before I have to disappear again." I replied.

"So you're the MIA Shinichi-Tantei jerk who broke my girlfriend's heart?" Kaito-kun snarled quietly. His grip tightened on Ran's shoulder, who seemed a bit shocked by his behavior.

I raised an eyebrow. "I'll have you know I am gone for a very important reason." I replied cooly. "Maybe you should stay out of Ran's past life and focus more on the one she has now." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Yes! That reason being a case." He said sarcastically. His face showed disgust and annoyance. He loses ed his grip on Ran and sunk deep into the couch cushions, folding his arms at his chest. " And what happened to Ran before us..." He paused for a brief moment. "Is very important so I can help her get over it and focus more in the future. However, you wouldn't know that. Because you caused it all." He snarled. His face was screwed up with pure anger and I felt the air between us crackle.

"I did didn't I?" I laughed bitterly. This action apparently caught the man of f guard, because his face softened into interest and he leaned forward." That's why I came tonight." I explained.

I turned my attention to the silent Ran who was calculating every single one of our words. "What do you mean?" She asked quietly, shifting into a tense-shouldered position.

I searched her face and then Kaito-kun's. seeing that they both had expressions of caution, I continued carefully. "I came to apologize for making you wait for so long. I came to give you my answer." I watched her intently, and she gaped slightly.

"I see." She mumbled. Ran turned her head to Kaito-kun and watched him uncertainly. I made a noise in my throat for attention, which I earned easily.

"You can stay if you want." I said cooly to the man across from me. "She'll need it." I mumbled sadly. I embraced the fact that this man was Ran's choice. However, if I ever found a true flaw in him, I would drive him away like a mountain witch facing other old hags she didn't want for dinner.

He nodded so carefully, I was sure Ran didn't catch it. His eyes were a mist of emotions, so jumbled up, you couldn't read them. However, there was something comforting in those violet eyes that searched my eyes too. They were familiar, but I couldn't place it. I knew this man, and yet, I didn't at all.

"Have we met?" I asked carefully after working up the courage to ask the question.

His face shifted to one of caution. "We met at a KID heist, I was the magician in the crowd copying KID's magic acts." He explained lightly. "I was the one who was distrusting police operations, so they kicked me out. However, I'm not sure you would remember, we didn't speak." He smiled briefly.

"That explains it." I smiled. "I thought I've seen that gaze before somewhere, but I couldn't remember." I explained.

He smiled wearily and I watched Ran shift uncomfortably in the silence that now blanketed the room. She watched me and then searched Kaito-kun beside her. He nodded encouragingly and I cleared my throat.

"Ran." I started, watching her carefully. She went rigid and it didn't seem like she could breathe. "I'm sorry, but I just can't think of you as a lover anymore." I breathed.

Ran's face shifted into a look of bitterness and a look that told me it was expected. "Me neither." She replied, smiling weakly. This caught me off guard, and I stared for a moment. "I don't feel the same as I did last year or the year before you left." She answered.

I waited a moment before replying. "Ran, I think of you as my sibling. Preferably my older one." I smiled a goofy grin. To this she replied with a happy grin of her own.

"I always thought that if we were brother and sister, you would be the older one." She teased, her eyes were shimmering with relief, understanding, loss, and happiness.

I gave a brief laugh to her response. "If only you knew." I mumbled. I caught the slightest narrowing of Kaito-kun's eyes and hurried with the next thing I wanted to say. "Now that I think of you this way, I just want to remain as the close sibling friendship we have. I think it's comfortable, and I guess we both just read to far into our relationship and mistook it for love." I shrugged helplessly. "I should've expected that much from myself." I chuckled.

"Even though that kinda hurts." She replied after a moment's thought. "I understand it completely." She nodded. "Kudou Shinichi..." She started, and I knew what she was going to say.

I grinned following her example. "I'm officially breaking up with you." We both said in unison. "Except, I'm not breaking up with myself." I corrected smoothly.

Ran rolled her eyes, stood, and released a breath that seemed to have be held back forever. She stretched her arms out and I gathered her up into a hug after a nod from Kaito-kun.

"I'll miss this part of our lives." I said into the embrace. She nodded into my shirt, mumbling something that sounded like a 'me too' and I gave a final goodbye to my old life. "Ja ne, Ran." It was at that moment, that a very heavy weight, lifted off of my heart. However, it left half of itself behind, the guilt formulated by becoming Conan. I broke the hug and grinned at her. "Yo, Ran-neechan."

She looked at me and broke into a fit of giggles. I watched her dumbfounded for a moment as she clutched her stomach. "Oh no..." She breathed. "Oh geez Shinichi!" She breathed out in between laughs. "You sounded..." Another wave if giggles over took her. "Just like Conan-kun!" She choked out before blindly stumbling for the couch.

I felt panic rise in my chest like a flame. "R-really?" I stammered. I mentally slapped myself for letting my Game Face slip at such a crucial moment. I laughed quietly along with her, replying to the comment. "That's funny. Probably because the squirt is so much like me already." I covered up.

"Ahh..." Kaito-kun smiled while patting Ran's shoulders to get her to calm down. "You mean Conan-kun? I've had my share of meetings with him." He replied.

I nearly whirled on him. He was lying, I've never met a Kuroba Kaito in my life once. Instead, I upped my Game Face so I could face him. In slightly fluid motions, I sat back down into the couch.

"Really? How did you two meet?" I asked casually, watching Ran, who calmed down and was beginning to process the conversation. The man across from me had a mischievous glint in his eyes and he was grinning wildly.

"We met on the rooftop of a Kaitou KID heist." He started. This completely captured my interest, since I couldn't think of meeting anyone on the rooftops, other than KID and the occasional guard. " The little guy was setting up fireworks there and completely surprised me by telling me his name was 'Edogawa Conan, Tantei sa.' For a moment, I wanted to laugh, but I could tell he was deadly serious." The man replied.

I felt a lump in my throat form and I almost laughed at the irony. This was KID. And he happened to be dating Ran. Honestly, Ran shifted from a detective to a thief! She either liked you 'cause you were the police, or you were the exact opposite. However, instead of laughing I replied to the story.

"Ho~? That boy got fireworks. Excellent plan, yup, that's my cousin." I smiled dreamily at the ceiling before returning my gaze to KID. "It looks like detective work is in our blood."

He nodded happily and a thoughtful silence enshrouded us. Ran was dozing off at Kaito-kun's side. "So your father is Kudou Yuusaku right?" He questioned grinning.

I blinked and watched him for a moment. "Uh, yeah." I answered. The man's grin grew wider and for a second, I felt something stir deep inside my memories.

"Our dads used to be great buds, up until about 10 years ago." He smiled, happy with the news. He was studying my reaction past that smile and I knew it.

"Really? What happened? How come they aren't still friends?" I asked with interest. His smile faltered until it was bittersweet and I regretted asking the question immediately.

"My dad passed away when I was nine." He answered, his shoulders drooped and his face was a mixture of sadness and admiration.

"You looked up to him a lot." I commented after a silent and respectful moment. I waited for his reaction and he looked up at me, his eyes so sad, as though he was carrying the heaviest burden.

"My dad was the greatest magician on the planet." He grinned. "Did the best tricks that all detectives couldn't solve." Then his grin faltered and this perked my interest. "Until your father met him." He smiled. "Your dad was the I my person who could unravel my dad's tricks after a few moments of thought." He shifted into a smirk of admiration.

"Ha ha." I unconsciously shifted into my 'Oi Oi face'. "That's Oyaji for you." I could see my father with his arms folded cockily over his chest, with his glasses and eyes glinting with amusement and confidence. That same confident and arrogant smirk that always ticked me off was on his face once more. Instantly, I grew slightly annoyed at the image.

"So how close were they? Do you have any idea?" I asked before getting up and stretching. "Oh shit." I face palmed and heaved a huge sigh.

"What is it?" Kaito-kun asked confused, searching the room for anything wrong. Then his eyes landed in Ran. "Ohhh... She's asleep."

"Probably won't wake up soon either." I mumbled. " hey if you want, you can punch me for hurting Ran if that makes you feel any better. However, I can't see you doing it." I smirked and then dropped it the second he looked at me and turned it into a grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He wailed quietly and crossed his arms over his chest in a childish pout.

I almost laughed at him. Almost. "Nothing!~" I sang. "Anyway, I say we get a blanket or two and put them on her." I suggested. Kaito-kun's face dropped the pout and went into clear understanding with a nod.

"And maybe crank up the heat in this room. Brrr!" He shivered and rubbed his arms, trying to create enough friction to keep him warm.

"Yeah... Probably for the best.." I nodded, finally noticing the cool air that swam through the room. On a summer day, this would've been refreshing, but it was cold on a winter night.

I went to the office door and searched the area to the left of it. I changed the temperature carefully, since I had bad experiences with this thermostat. Almost as though Kami-sama wanted to give me another bad memory, my fingers slipped and my hand fell against the razor sharp and broken end of the thermostat. I whimpered with pain as I felt the razors break the skin on my finger and the top of my palm.

"You okay?" Kaito-kun asked, walking over to me. He looked over my shoulder and I tensed immediately. I mean, come on, I was in the presence of KID. I had to remind myself he didn't know who I was to relax.

"Yeah." I sighed. "Stupid thermostat. This thing has something against me because every time I change the temperature, it cuts my hand somehow." I glared a look of disgust at the culprit and Kaito-kun giggled.

"Ha ha. That's funny! You're cursed!" He laughed opening the door to the other part of the office. It was nothing but a bathroom, but there was a closet in there that held blankets.

I smirked. Yeah, KID was definitely stalking this house. "Oh yeah." I said suddenly as he walked out with two blankets and a first aid kit. "Have you introduced yourself to Conan yet? I mean, as Ran's boyfriend?" I asked.

He grabbed to corners of one of the blankets and unfurled the rest of it in one swift movement. "No not yet. The guy is like a curse for anyone that approaches her. He'll chase any guys away innocently, like he never meant any harm." The blanket fell elegantly onto Ran's sleeping figure, and he copied the motion with the second blanket.

I walked up to Ran's sleeping figure and whipped out my cell phone. Oh shit. Nope, I mean CONAN'S cell phone! I hurriedly shifted that back into my pocket and glanced at KID, who seemed to have not noticed anything. I drew out my other one and snapped a picture of her. Smiling to myself, I wrote the same message as always and sent it to her phone. Which, seconds later, vibrated with my received message.

"What'ch ya doin'?" Kaito-kun asked with true interest. His face looked almost surprised, but that was swallowed up by the other emotion of curiosity.

"I sent Ran another picture of herself sleeping and said it was from 'Detective KID', though, neither KID or Ran would ever understand that. Usually, it says something like, 'I've stolen the sleeping face of an angel!' Or something like that." I smiled fondly at the phone in my hand and replaced it in my pocket.

"Sounds like plagiarism to me." He shrugged and pulled out a coin, twiddling it between his fingers and making I disappear.

I gave a small laugh. "Oh if I asked KID, he might not mind. I think he would be a great detective if he wasn't a thief already. Though I doubt he'd have the attention spam to do it." I smirked, wondering how he would react as I wrapped my fingers in bandages.

"He'd probably become a great magician before trying that." Kaito-kun replied. It was almost like he had spat it at me. I suppressed a giggle and played the game for a while.

"He already is a great magician." I rolled my eyes at him and looked at him as though he was stupid. He looked surprised and watched my finish off the band aids left in the first aid kit. "The police don't need him getting any better then he is now, or else they would never stop him."

"You're saying they can stop them now?" He asked, an amused and dangerous glint was in his eye and I got the message. 'Be careful with what you say Meitantei-san, or you might be the first target of my newest and most embarrassing trap.' Was what I could almost hear him say.

"No not the police specifically. I mean Conan. He stops KID sometimes right? But if KID got better at magic, then Conan can't stop him and the police lose." I explained getting up. The glint in his eye disappeared and I stretched my limbs.

'Apotoxin 4869.'I mouthed to myself, careful to keep KID from seeing my lips. I finally gathered the resolve to think the thoughts instead of mouth them. 'I hope Haibara can destroy you for good. You damn dog.' I cursed. "You're just like a dog that chews on my bones." I mumbled as I felt my bones grow heavy and my eye lids droop. "Oh shit." I said out loud, catching the attention of the thief who was searching outside the windows. "I'm falling asleep, Kaito-kun. If your he so kind as to get me a glass or bucket of water from that bathroom, I would be thankful. Preferably as cold as possible." I mumbled like a drunkard. Like Occ-chan would, I fell into the other couch and felt my body shut down. My brain refused to rest at the moment however, and kept me awake.

You see, the temporary cures to APTX 4869 have some serious side affects. Colds, fevers, narcoleptic habits, and sometimes, in extreme cases, death. And if you're lucky, you'll only suffer the first three instead of death. I mean that sarcastically ya know. I mean, who wants to not be able to control their sleeping habits? Or to lie in bed for almost two weeks with a fever past 105 f.? Or even better, throw up food at ever possible moment while rejecting even the smallest amount of water for your sand papered throat? Yeah, I thought not.

By this time, Kaito-kun had returned and I registered that grin on his face. "Here you go, Meitantei-san."

I immediately replied with a faint smirk. "Thank you KID." I knew not to open my eyes and the water didn't come for a moment or two. However, as promised, it splashed over my head and I bit back a scream as my body jump started. "Hell yeah!" I whisper screamed as I pinched myself, and flexed my arms.

Kaito-kun was watching me carefully and then broke into a grin. "You were dreaming about KID man." He giggled. "You said, 'thank you KID' in you sleep." His grin grew wider and I mentally applauded him for the cover up.

I played the game and forced a blush to my face. "O-oh. Oh yeah?" I managed to stammer. "Well ah... That's because of the clock tower heist." I blurted.

"What about it?" He arched an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side a bit.

In retrospect, maybe it was better not to have even said anything in my narcoleptic state. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea.

"Ah well, I met Ran near the clock tower when I was young and if it wasn't for KID, then no one would've discovered that conspiracy behind it." I lied smoothly. He was silent for a moment and then nodded.

"I get it. So it was like a special symbol to you and KID saved it for you. Yeah, I would like to think him too, I have the same story about my child hood friend too." He grinned.

I smiled. "We should leave before Kazuha-chan comes lookin for Ran and attacks us with her skills." I said mimicking one of her techniques that I've seen her use most.

"How did you know she was here?" He asked as we left the office and I locked the door. We climbed the stairs and I passed the door to Ran' apartment. "Where are we going?" He asked.

"Roof." I replied, jumping up and pulling on a trip wire, invisible to those below who didn't concentrate in looking for it. When I pulled, a hole in the ceiling opened up and let down so e old wooden stairs so quietly, you could hear crickets over the sound. "I knew Kazuha-chan was there because Hattori's over at my place for the time being and told me she was here before I came." I explained.

Yeah the last part was a lie, but when would I stop lying more than once a day? Probably never. Just whatever it takes to keep KID from finding out my identity and putting him in danger. For some reason, I felt that if I saw the thief in his pure white suit tattered, filthy, and stained with his own blood, I would break down. It's the same as keeping Ran safe. I will not have him hurt, even if I have to hurt him the way I did Ran to keep him safe.

I climbed up the non-creaking stairs and went up to the roof with the thief behind me. Why did I care so much about keeping KID safe? It's stupid since he already gets snipers at him once in a while. And those snipers gave me the same tight wrenching feeling in my gut like I did when I saw or thought about Chianti or Korn. I felt myself shiver and glance back at the thief who was cautiously climbing the stairs.

The stairs led us to the usual roof doorway, and I picked the chained lock fast enough so that it seemed like I had a key. I prayed the thief didn't see it, but he crushed those holes quickly.

"You are like a criminal yourself." He snickered. "That was a pretty ancient technique for picking locks. When did you learn that?" He laughed as we exited onto the roof.

"I can't remember." I said after a few moments. " I think I did like 10 years ago by a man who I can't remember exactly." I squinted in concentration as though there was a bright light in front of me.

Kaito-kun decided to change the subject. "So. Why are we up here?" He asked.

"One, because I need to return the keys to Ran's apartment somehow." I answered as I walked to the edge of the roof. "And two..." I looked back at him and he was staring at me like he was trying to decide if be should pull me back or trust me. "Well, you'll figure it out later." I smirked and stood on the edge.

"O-Oi! What are you doing! That's dangerous!" He yelled coming after me. I smirked and then leaned back, just before he got close enough to reach me. His fingers just barely brushed the collar of my jacket, and I fell. "Meitantei-san!" He screamed as I fell.

I almost thought he was going to jump after me with his white wings, but than he stopped himself as he saw no Shinichi Kudou falling to his death.

I laughed and he grasped the sides of the roof, got on his knees, and bent low enough to see the side of the detective agency.

I laughed in his face. Literally. Since he was only one door away in length and three feet up in height. "Why the hell did you do that?!" He demanded, his face was flushed with worry and anger.

"So I could get to the window man." I said after knocking lightly on the window behind me. "I'm barely even standing on this building, so thank Kami-sama that no one is awake or looking out of their third story window to see me." I commented, bending down and fiddling with the lock on the window.

"So you're going to break into Ran's bedroom and leave the keys there?" He asked smirking wildly. I could tell he was enjoying this a lot more than he should be.

I muttered a curse in the 'dead language', AKA Latin, and answered him. "No... We're going back inside Ran's house for a brief moment. It's not like Ran ever dismissed us officially." I countered as the lock gave way.

I turned around and put my index finger to my lips. To this, the man nodded, and I noticed how pink his face was from hanging upside down for so long. "Hurry, before Kazuha-chan wakes up." He hissed under his breath.

I slowly opened the window and it gave way without a creek. I grinned to myself. 'This place is pretty well oiled!' I thought briefly to the gates back in front of my house as I took the keys from my pocket. I grasped the key part of them tightly to prevent any noise and set them gently on the nightstand only a few feet away from me. Nervously, I kept one eye on Kazuha-chan, waiting for her to grab my wrist and smirk at me, saying, 'gotcha!'.

I took one last glance around the room and dropped a small slip of paper on the keys from my sleeve before exiting my arm. Allowing, my arm to snake through the window was easy, however, pulling it back was harder. That was only if you considered the type of jacket I was wearing. You know, the ones you usually get stuck on every possible thing like a disease? Well that. My sleeve just seemed to love catching on the edges of the window stubbornly.

It took my five-damn-minutes to get y elbow out of the window, and my forearms were looking good for now. I pulled my arm slowly back, uncertain if it would catch again. However, my luck was okay this time and allowed me to go free this time around. I sighed deeply after closing the window and give the lock a good punch that rattled the window slightly.

"If I ever wear this jacket again coming to Ran's house, I give you full permission to knock some sense into me. " I grumbled, clearly irritated at the stupid process.

Kaito-kun nodded. "So I guess this is good night?" He asked uncertainly. He grasped my fore arm and I vice versa as I scramble up the side of the Mouri Detective Agency. I huffed a huge sigh if relief when we were safe on the roof top.

We sat together against the smallest amount of wall the edge of the roof offered. I wished to have a Dr. Pepper at the moment. Of at least Cola or root beer. I grinned at him as he twiddled that coin in his fingers again.

"Nah, man. I mean, I'll se you at heists all the time, and maybe I'll be visiting Ran sometimes during these two weeks." I smiled and waited for a reaction.

"You mean because I'm a huge fan." He stated carefully. Good, KID. Good. He was searching my face which only offered a grin that didn't reach my eyes.

I stood up. "That too." I held out my hand to help him up. "It's testing late. I think I heard Ran mention to me that she met some new friends in Ekoda. Are you one of them?" I asked casually.

He was silent for a brief moment, taking in all possibilities about the question. "Yeah, I'm the friend of Aoko Nakamori." He said as we left the roof and headed for the stairs again.

"Ahh.." I breathed, recollecting my memories. "Nakamori-keibu's spunky daughter who appears to be anti-KID for her farther." I watched the man beside me carefully.

"That's the one." He sighed resentfully. At this point we were at the bottom of the wooden stairs and I was setting them back up for next time. "When it comes to KID, we we natural enemies on neutral territory. Of I should say, school grounds."

I chuckled, amused at his public life. We strolled down the stairs together and reached the street. "It was nice meeting you Kaito-kun." I smiled. "If you hurt Ran, I'll make sure you can't twiddle that coin so easily and you could see your finger pads at the same time as seeing the back of your hands." I smiled coldly.

However, Kaito-kun stood his ground. "Ahh!" He coward in mock fear. "Otoutou-san is coming after me!" He wailed.

I frowned at him with a smirk almost taking over. "In this case, I'm Onii-sama to you." I puffed out my chest and turned away from him. "Ja ne, koso-dorobou-san. See you another time." I smirked to myself and fought the urge to look back at his reaction. Instead, I raised an hand lazily and shuffled away into the dark night.

However, I could've sworn later that I heard him say, "ja na. Meitantei. I'll see you at the next heist. I'll be awaiting your deductions." I knew he said that as he walked away too.

There was a mutual relationship between 'Meitantei-san' and KID. One that used to be in the early stages of the relation I had as Edogawa Conan with him. KID was a different kind of thief. I have no idea what species, but I know there is a huge reason behind his thievery. Probably a reason that I could find out by becoming close to him as Conan Edogawa and Kudou Shinichi. Though, it'll be tough in my true form since I can barely come back once a month.

These thoughts ran through my head as I approached my house once more. Only when I opened the gate did I notice something was wrong. Hattori said he would wait for me. There are no lights on in the house. It was dark. It was quiet. There was only the sound of the howling wind and the rustling of leaves and grass. Occasionally, there was the sound of car horns that passed by here. Not even Hakase's house made a peep. Yet I knew what to do, and who could possibly be responsible.

Maybe Hattori was asleep, but he knew not to turn the light off if he just dozed off on the couch. It was more like he didn't have time to turn it off if he suddenly dozed off. And my train of thinking could lead me into a trap. If it was a trap, Hattori was in danger. So was I if I didn't do something about this.

Quietly, I snapped into action. I sprinted across the grass to Hakase's house and entered through the side entrance. The house was quiet and dark, but I could hear a fair humming noise and snoring. I tried my best not to stumble into any stay inventions, for fear of setting of another explosion. Somehow, I managed to stumble-gracefully-through the from like a cat burglar.

I almost cried with relief when the lab door was open in the basement. "Haibara!" I hissed before walking in.

Almost immediately, Haibara whirled around I. Her swivel computer chair. "Kudou-kun!" She cried with relief. "Are you trying to scare me?!" She hissed returning to her monotone.

"Something's wrong." I cut in bluntly. As I thought, she stopped talking and listened carefully, her eyes analyzing my face.

"What is it?" She asked carefully. "What's wrong?" She turned around fully in her chair to face me and inspect my expression.

"Hattori didn't leave the lights on in my house. I told him to, and he said he would wait for me." I rushed. "He didn't have enough energy to get up off the couch so I doubt he would've closed the lights." I explained breathless.

"So what do I do?" She asked turning back to her computer and punching in a few keys. I saw the data lock and save before she turned around.

I relaxed before formulating the most simple and used plan. "If I'm not back in 15minutes, come with smoke bombs and sleeping gas to my house through the underground passage. I'm taking my glasses, I trust you have the spare pair?" I asked before slipping Conan's glasses on.

"Ok. Good luck Kudou-kun. Don't die just in case it's them." She said seriously. She watched me with the same eyes she did when we were testing Apotoxin's cure.

"Roger." I felt the word dry in my mouth as I climbed through the underground entrance. "Don't put yourself in any danger if I don't come back." I warned. It was supposed to be a joke, but my tone came out wrong.

She had a small smile gracing her features and released a chuckle of amusement. "See you later Kudou-kun." She waved off the matter as though I was dropping her off from school. Though, I knew very well, she was on alert. Like a hound who could smell a bomb.

I clambered through the dark passage and ignored its musky smell. Kami! There must have been several hundred nests for rodents that all died in here! One sniff, and you could faint, like a sick horse seeing an old lady's face.

Finally I saw the small amount of light that came through the door cracks. Something smelled funny. And it was not the dead rats.

My brain took a long time to register the smell, and it seemed to be the reason why I was so slow.

'Oh shit! Hattori!' I wailed mentally. 'Be okay, be okay!' I prayed. My breath was running slow. And I ran for the exit, tripping twice and tumbling towards it.

I rolled into the room after busting the door open. 'Smooth move Kudou.' I snapped at myself sarcastically.

I stood wearily in my marble library. The library of a thousand riddles. There was no light and I immediately froze in my place, and held my breath.

There was breathing. And it wasn't my own.

~ all right! I know it wasn't long, but I didn't get as much time as I'm used to. So I hope you enjoyed and please review.

To my faithful RoseGirl: yeah I wanted to make this arc end so we can get into the arc of development. The next chapter will finish off this and then we get into Shinichi's and Kaito's relationship a little more. But that is for reviewing! And I really enjoyed reading it!

~ that's all! Crescent.


	5. Chapter 5

Chappie five

This should be the final chapter of this arc. In the next chapter, we begin to focus more on the relationship of KaiShin and ShinKai, not that I know the difference. Sorry that I've been using the seme and uke terms. My bad! And thanks to my reviewer who helped me clear this up. Oh and don't worry, this story will have a fair amount of KaiCon and ConKai! I'll explain everything next chapter... So enjoy, and uhh... You might find some typos, sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own DC or MK, and a bunch of other legal stuff no one reads. Copyright to the proper owners!

Kudou household (marble library)

Close to 4 am

Shinichi's POV

I let out a quiet and shaky breath. It rattled my rib cages to keep it quiet, but I pulled it off somehow. I took in a huge breath slowly, and held it again.

'Still there.' I thought after about ten seconds. 'What do I do? I have my kick shoes on, but my belt is in my room. I'm not about to kick a book at the intruder, they're one of a kind!' My eyes had a hard time adjusting to the darkness of the room, so I squinted.

The room was in a half circle shape, and the shelves made up the entire round part of the room. There were two large, but short, marble columns at the entrance, and a desk in the middle of it all. Off to the right, were I was, were two chairs; one an arm chair and the other a rocking chair. On the left side of the room, were the intruder was, there were two pieces of furniture; an elegant leather sofa, and a night stand type table with a lamp. I looked again at the sofa.

'Wait...' I face palmed and got out of my hiding place from behind the arm chair. I approached the sleeping figure, my left eye twitching in annoyance. "God damn it Hattori! Get up! How did you find this place anyway?!" I demanded shaking the sleeping idiot off of the sofa.

"Ha?" He asked sleepily. "Five more minutes Kudou, waitin' fer ya all da time's torture. I was bored out of my mind!" He said sitting up.

"So what are you doing in here?!" I whined. "How did you get in here?" I stared him down as though I was in an interrogation.

"A-ah. It was open." He stated dumbly. "I found it open and den I 'eard somethin' flutterin'." He paused in thought. "Like curtan's." he decided standing up. He stretched and looked behind me, where the entrance was still open. "Woah Kudou! Anoder secret passage? Yer house is loaded!" He gave a whistle and inspected it.

"Did you say curtains earlier?" I asked cupping my chin thoughtfully. He tuned around with a 'hmmm?' And squinted his eyes with suspicion.

"Yah 'curtains'." He emphasized. "Ya have curtains in da library upstairs and da window was open. Like ya did last night when KID visited us fer invites." He began to climb the stairs and I scanned the room after slamming the passageway shut tightly. It closed with a 'BANG!' and gave a last creak in protest. I found that nothing was touched so I left the room in it's state.

"Yeah I remember." I said climbing up the stairs after Hattori. He was waiting patiently at the top to close the hole grinning wildly. "That curtain's a little loose so it flutters like that." I shrugged when I stood next to Hattori looking down into the hole.

He grinned slyly. "So how do ya close it?" He asked, a glint was in his eye, as though he totally enjoyed the secrets of the house.

I followed the procedures to close it and he gaped. I snickered behind a hand. "Pick your jaw up off the floor Hattori. We don't want it to decay and add it to Haibara's unfinished skeleton. She is missing a mandible for it." I chuckled as Hattori hurriedly shut his mouth.

"Dude..." He whistled. "Ya gotta search dis entire place fer more passageways! It's awesome!" He began pulling random books slightly off their shelves as though it would trigger something.

"Oh please." I said rolling my eyes and strolling to the exit. "My family wouldn't do something so old fashioned." I swung the door open and held it out for Hattori.

"Didn't ya need ta murmur somethin' ta da book over dere?" He accused. "Isn't dat da same thin'?"

We left the room as I shrugged. "Doesn't seem like it to me." My large yawn filled the entire hall and echoed off of the walls. "We should go to bed man." I commented. "Not that it'll make too much of a difference to me." I shrugged again. "I'd end up waking up in an hour from now. Damn insomnia." I spat.

Hattori just grinned in response before letting out a small yawn of his own. "Wow, yawns really are contagious." He smirked. "So later yer gonna tell me what happened in dere right?" He asked as we trudged up the stairs, shutting all of the lights off on the way. It looks like the fuse blew and that was why the lights were off.

"Yeah sure." I nodded. "It wasn't as bad as I thought, but I wonder how she'll do. I mean, she's dating..." I trailed off thinking back.

"'Neechan's datin' someone?!" He demanded, stomping a foot and raising a fist. "Are ya sure? Kazuha would'a told ya on da phone when we were in Osaka." He stated.

"Actually, I think their relationship was fake, but you wouldn't believe who she was 'dating'." I said, making air quotes. We arrived at Hattori's door. "I'll tell you more later. If I say anything now, we might be up a whole hour trying to figure out everything. And we'd fail since no man has figured out the mind of a woman." I shrugged as Hattori walked into guest room.

"Ok man. Ya got it." He yawned and waved lazily. "Say goodnight Kudou." He demanded in a sleepy tone.

"Goodnight Kudou." I snickered as Hattori nodded, approvingly. He swung the door shut in my face and I waited a moment before going to my room. He'll notice it later in the morning. And totally chew me out for it.

I froze in my spot. 'Did I forget something?' I went through the events of my day as I dressed into my pajamas. 'Ahh... I went to Ran's. I found out KID's identity. I went home. The lights were off. I went to Hakase's... Oh shit!' I glanced at the clock and flew out of my room. 'Haibara!' I mentally screamed. 'Wait!' I started running down at the top of the stairs, only to slip from some coffee I'd spilled this morning.

Like that, I went tumbling down the stairs and landed on the floor with the small of my back smacking the ground with a 'BAM!'. I ignored the pain knowing that Haibara would inflict worse if I didn't get to her soon, and scrambled up to my bare feet. My breathing had come to a pant and I jogged to the library. I looked around thinking about what to do.

"Opening the second library would take too much time...' I thought. 'If I leave from this room, I can be to Hakase's a minute earlier than what I would if I went through the front door...' My eyes landed on the window. 'Bing pong!' I grinned wildly and scrambled for the window.

Jumping out and onto the dead grass, I felt the cold air bite me through my pajamas, no matter how fuzzy they were. Sprinting, I got to Hakase's wall and scrambled over it like a cat running from a dog. I escaped that brick wall with record scratches, a new high amount. I jogged through the tallish dead grass and watched as Haibara exited through the back door, fully loaded with a bunch of grenade like looking things and a bunch of guns. I'd bet some of them were real too.

"Hai...bara!" I panted as I jogged up to her. I braced myself onto my knees. I panted a bit more before lifting my head to look at her.

"Kudou-kun..." She pouted, tossing three guns from her hands. "I was finally gonna get a chance to test these..." She mumbled, looking away and scanning the area my house was in.

"Haha." I put on my 'Oi Oi' face and stood up, only to sit down next to her on the cold and hard grass. I sighed and looked up at the moon, which was beginning to reach its peak. "Close to a mangetsu." I remarked.

She let out something like a giggle from her throat, as though it was trying hard to be contained. She collected herself and looked at me. From where I was sitting, she was as tall as me, maybe a bit taller.

"Nde?" She asked picking the toy guns up. I could tell they were models because of the noise from when you picked them up. "What was the excuse for the off lights?" She asked looking at the moon. She smiled gently and lovingly before turning her gaze to my house.

"Fuse blew while Hattori was in the library searching for books. The Library of a Thousand Riddles was open and he fell inside. Knocked himself out, and fell asleep. When he woke up, he realized how tired he was and collapsed on the sofa until I woke him up." I explained.

Then Haibara did something she has been doing for a while lately. She laughed so badly, I thought she was going to collapse herself. "What's so funny?!" I demanded, feeling my lips twitch up despite my protest. Her reaction was shocking!

"I have reasons..." She said in between gasps. She clutched a hand onto her clothes over her chest and breathed slowly. "One being that it was a Library of a Thousand Riddles, two that a fuse blew at that moment, and three because Hattori-kun's idiocy is funny." Her voice switched back into monotone towards the end and she finished with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I felt my face screw up into a look of curiosity and mixed in with a bit of confusion. "Why the mini library and the fuse? I mean I understand the part about Hattori. I had to bite the inside of my cheek and tongue to not laugh when he told me." I said standing up. The grounds cool temperature was beginning to crawl into the skin of my ass and it was uncomfortable.

"No reason." She said bluntly. "You'll figure it out." She smiled before adding, "Meitantei-san." I arched (a/n: or is it arced?) an eyebrow at her. She barely calls me Meitantei-san.

"Don't call me that." I said a bit sternly, not knowing why I felt that way. I felt shocked at my own words.

However, Haibara only smirked. "Because KID gave you that nickname?" A mischievous glint in her eyes held me still in my spot.

"BAROO." I huffed, feeling my face heat up as I crossed my arms and looked away.'That was totally uncalled for face!' I mentally scolded myself. "I just don't like that name. I'm not as prideful as I was before. I've grown an endless pool of humility and patience by becoming Conan." My tone grew soft and sorrowful. "That title makes me seem arrogant doesn't it?" I smiled down at her.

"So maybe it was fate for you to become Edogawa Conan in the end. Without him, you wouldn't have met many people. That including KID on the rooftop." She smiled at me and I grew confused again. What was with these references?! I felt like she was trying to make me figure something out. Something that I couldn't quite get the message to because it was missing a price of crucial information. Like a puzzle with the center piece missing.

I stared hard at the ground and a thought hit me. Haibara's face grew into excitement. "Can I borrow all of your weapons?!" I asked excitedly. "I can test them for you! All of them!" I exclaimed happily.

She visibly deflated with a tired sigh. It didn't matter since she handed those weapons to me anyway. She dumped them into my ready arms in one swift motion. "Enjoy." She sarcastically smiled. "Oh and come by tomorrow and tell me about what happened tonight." She smiled briefly before turning it into a death glare. "If I find any of those broken..." She warned. Her face turned into an angel's smile. "Your bones can be the next thing I use for material to make new ones!" She laughed happily.

I shivered at the thought. Maybe what I was thinking wasn't a great idea after all. "What if I can get you an even better one as a replacement?" I asked pointing the gun to the wall to show my point.

She seemed to consider it and with a small and evil chuckle, she replied, "okay!" She smiled briefly and then said goodbye when she went back inside through the back door.

Feeling the cold air truly for the first time that night, I scrambled over the wall again, barely being able to contain the toy guns and grenades in my hands. Once I miraculously cleared that, I was skipping through the grass singing to that 'all the do da day' song out of tune and with newer lyrics.

"Gonna kick KID's ass this time, do da, do da. Got Haibara's favorite toys to win all the do da day! Gonna beat him good! Gonna capture him! 'Cause we got fair chances this time 'round, I'm gonna definitely win!" I sang as I entered my room. I laughed hard at the lyrics and fell to my bed after dumping the toys into a corner of the room.

I took a dreamy and deep breath as I felt my body relax. "Good night Kudou." I grinned cheekily before closing my eyes and letting blissful and dreamless sleep wash over me.

With KID

Right after he left Meitantei-san

KID's POV

I walked away after calling him 'Meitantei-san' and I can swear I repeated that goodbye a million times in my head in the way home. The goodbye that makes my blood freeze over and grow heavy in my veins.

"Ja ne. Koso-dorobou-san." Like an iPod stuck on replay. I couldn't get it out of my head. He probably knew that Mouri-chan and I were faking the relationship too. I was beyond paranoid at this point.

I walked into my house. Or should I say snuck in? I climbed in through my veranda window without a creak. I was glad Jii-chan was asleep and mom was away on a trip.

Either way, I was thinking about who to go to at this point. As much as I thought talking to Jii-chan would be safe, he was asleep and I needed to talk now! Tantei-kun might make a good choice, but he's all the way in Europe or at least on a plane there anyway. I could send him a mail message, but I'd have to pay the fee and he would too. Not only that, but he wouldn't see my message until much later if he was on a plane...

And that left me with one person... Some one who would definitely be up and murmuring things right now. It was the 'devil's hour' anyway. Right. Akako was my only hope now. And I felt something was wrong. Very wrong with my next heist... Akako would know.

With that resolve, I threw myself up and off of my bed, strolling over to the wall portrait of my father. I glanced at it smiling, before pushing it to reveal the secret room. I stepped inside and lights automatically shot on as the spinning picture came to a halt. This time, dad performing was on the inside of the room, leaving Kaitou KID the first in plain sight on the other side. My father's last magic trick was this. Kaitou KID's Legacy. Until those ravens are brought down, the Legacy will continue. Even if its hard for me to say so.

I slipped into the clothes as usual, popping on the monocle into its place over my right eye. The hat came next, and with a popping noise and a poof, it was shielding Kaitou KID's true face from the world once more. The mantle fluttered as I set it on my shoulders comfortably, feeling the weight that seemed to carry a thousand burdens.

I glanced at the mirror, satisfied with my appearance and recited the latest heist note. Watching my reflection carefully.

"A gem burns a cabin in the woods, yet the woods are unharmed. Two sides of the same coin will have a showdown, for the cursed jewel in the middle of it all. We will ride 4869 and it will all occur when the moon has reached it's peak, only to be dipped in blood once more." I stated clearly to the image.

The image wavered and showed a jewel in the center of it all, glowing brightly in the dark exhibit it was trapped in. I watched intently, searching for guards around and looking at the layout. Where guards usually stood, there was no one. Were they patrolling? It didn't matter, since all I wanted was to see how the jewel was typically guarded. Not only that, but I wanted to see it before its trip. The trip into my hands of course...

The image vanished and I vowed to thank Akako for it as I left the room and escaped the house through my veranda again. It was dangerous since someone could just look outside and see me in KID's clothes, but I'd just use the excuse I always do. 'I'm a big fan! I'm just cosplaying!'

I unfurled my white wings and took to the air. Nothing beats flying. Nothing but Tantei-kun flying with me. That was the reason behind this heist. To fly with Tantei-kun like before, but it won't happen since he's all the way in Europe.

The cold wind made my left eye water slightly, but I blinked it back and set my hands back into my pockets, as I liked to do so much of the time. The wind caressed my cheeks and bangs as though it was trying to comfort me and lighten my burdens, but I ignored it fiercely, hoping that Akako's house was nearby.

As I touched down in a veranda outside of her house, I slipped on my trademark smirk and opened the door as swiftly as I would of if I had unlocked it from the inside. I snuck in, hearing Akako's murmuring voice and a fire crackling.

'How inviting!' I cheered mentally as my smirk grew into a happy grin. I love toasty fires and hot chocolate after a cold flight.

Akako was murmuring things in... Was that Greek? I knew how you could write the words she mumbled. "oh Εωσφόρος, ακούει τις εντολές μου! Δείξε μου την αλήθεια που αντηχεί μέσα στο χρόνο! τι η επόμενη ληστεία να έχει στο κατάστημα για την Μάγος υπό το σεληνόφως." Yet the best translation I could get was that she wanted information from someone.

The best it sounded like was, "oh Eo̱sfóros, akoúei tis entolés mou! Deíxe mou ti̱n alí̱theia pou anti̱cheí mésa sto chróno! ti i̱ epómeni̱ li̱steía na échei sto katásti̱ma gia ti̱n Mágos ypó to seli̱nófo̱s?" I don't understand too much. I don't even know how I could write it anyway.

Then the fire grew. It grew bigger and bigger, that I almost ran because of what it reminded me of. Yet I remained in place, because just as I thought it couldn't get any bigger, it died like someone had poured hundreds of gallons of icy water on it. A miniature figure appeared and I almost laughed.

'That's Lucifer?!' I screamed in my head. That was one of the few words I could pick out from her quiet rambling. Then the thing did the strangest thing after Akako demanded to know who it was. 'So not Lucifer?' I thought. 'Then who?'

The thing spoke in a high pitched voice like Akako's glass ball. "Lucifer-sama is temporarily busy, he says you should get rid of intruders before asking for a hearing from him." The thing grinned in my direction as though it could see me clearly. Being as paranoid as I was, I looked down at myself, and took a deep breath as I realized I was still hidden. "and Lucifer-sama asked that you have a hearing with him before the devil's hour finishes and after the intruder leaves." And with one swift bow, the thing disappeared.

"Intruder?!" Akako roared. "Who's there?!" She demanded searching the place with wild eyes and a fierce expression.

So I did what I had to. In a poof of smoke, I was before her on one knee, offering a few flowers to her. I grinned happily and she sputtered before taking the flowers away and examining them.

"Amaryllis, Angrec, Arbor Vitae, Sweet Alyssum, Agrimony, Allspice, and a Flowering Almond?" She asked after seeing the last one. "Give me the translation." She demanded.

I stood up and smiled a bit goofily. "Splendid beauty and pride, royalty, unchanging friendship, worth beyond beauty, thankfulness and gratitude, compassion, and hope." I translated quickly. "They like warm places like this room, so I believe they'll do fine in here as long as they remain in a vase." I advised before taking her hand and placing a chaste kiss on it.

She pulled her hand away after a moment and her expression softened as she looked at her new presents. "So you're here because you need something. Something important or something is bothering you." She said gazing at the flowers. She mumbled something and a small sprite came and collected the flowers, placing them in a tall and round vase by the entrance of the room with fresh water.

I nodded. "I have a bad feeling about this time." I said seriously. "I'm dealing with more fire than I can handle alone. Usually I don't trust what Lucifer tells you, but I don't think I can shake this feeling off again." I explained, shivering slightly.

"I know." She said grimly. "I know this feeling from the first time for both of them." She held a hand to her gut and I felt a tugging sensation in mine too. A feeling that scared me behind my poker face.

"First time for both of them?" I asked confused. "Who are you talking about?" The room was dark from the lack of light, but Akako summons another toasty fire that kept the room bright and warm.

"Those two detectives. The one who opposed you in a helicopter with a gun, and the other who piloted a plane with you." Her face grew dark and she seemed to stare past me and farther away.

"Meitantei-san and Tantei-kun?" I asked. That's not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. Both times something happened. Meitantei-san had revealed my trick in front of the audience, and Tantei-kun, along with everyone else on that plane had almost died right then and there.

"It strange though!" Her voice came out strangled and stressed. "He's shadowed! I cannot see him!" She stamped a foot and turned to the fire, her robe swishing around her. She spread her hands out and gazed deep into the fire.

"Show him to me. The one who ruins the plans of the thief whenever they meet." She commanded in a serious tone.

I gasped as I realized who she was talking about. "Tantei-kun isn't seen?!" I felt my eyes widen. "That's..." I stopped myself as Tantei-kun's words hit me.

'Once you open it, it doesn't become interesting anymore.' He had smiled so bitterly for a seven year old. His eyes were filled with such an ancient feeling of loneliness, I felt my heart break.

The fire sputtered and crackled loudly in protest as I thought about this. I looked into it to see something else, something I didn't expect. "Men in black... Tropical Land... Edogawa Conan being found bleeding in the head by police officers in oversized clothes..." I mumbled as I watched the scenes flicker by.

"That's all it shows!" Akako cried in frustration. "It never shows anymore than those men, Tropical Land, and the boy without glasses in oversized clothes." She spat at the fire. "What's more is that whenever I ask about him to Lucifer, he answers by saying, 'who's that?'."

I stared at her. "Maajii?!" I demanded. "That's impossible!"

She glared hard at me. "I know!" She stressed. "I will get a better answer. But you need to leave. I will figure out some stuff and relay it back to you later. Make sure you sleep. Your heist is in two days and you need to be ready for anything." She warned. Her gaze was powerful through the red eyes and her hair seemed to gleam in the glow of the fire. In all, it was no wonder that ever guy fell in love with her.

"Roger!" I exclaimed saluting with my left hand. She smiled as she understood the joke and I left, knowing that it's be a waste of time to stay any longer.

I took to the skies once more with my wings and returned home safe and sound. Since it was four in the morning, I landed a few blocks away from my house in the woods and changed into regular street clothes in a poof of smoke. I walked briskly through the mostly empty streets and wondered briefly how Tantei-kun was doing. I smiled happily, since I had taken a weight off of my chest speaking with Akako. She's very helpful in times of need. For a price. I winced as I imagined what the price would be this time.

"Akako that witch will probably make me scrub her house clean instead of the sprites doing it just to make fun of me and laugh at it." I grumbled as I swept into my room easily, since I left the veranda unlocked.

I closed the curtains and pushed the revolving picture before stepping into the room. I quietly and quickly put the KID uniform to rest for two days. I swept the room with my eyes once more before leaving it and collapsing onto my fluffy bed.

"Ahh..." I breathed into my pillow as I snuggled with a teddy bear and blankets.

I liked this teddy bear. It just happened to wear a blue jacket. And just happened to wear a red bow tie too. And just happened to wear something that resembled a silver watch. Along with some red and white running shoes.

What? It was cute! Not that I had modeled it off of anyone. Yeah. With that, I fell asleep, holding the precious thing close to my chest. "Oyasumi!" I cried happily. Too bad there was school later. I'd be totally wiped out.

With Akako

Right after Kaito's leave

Her POV

I demanded to know why I could see this boy, and I pressed Lucifer for the answer. For a long time, he taunted me with laughter and phrases that were broken due to his giggling fits.

"Lucifer!" I whined. "Please lord! I want to know why the most powerful magic in the world can't do the simplest task!" I cried. "This ruins the name of my Scarlet Magic so easily!" I threw my hands up in the air and sat in a chai, sighing with defeat.

Lucifer studied me for a moment. "Are you sure you want to know?" He asked. His deep voice rumbled through my soul and the evil and sorrow that came through shocked me out if my skin.

"That question isn't for me." I said realizing what he was asking. "That's for the magician." I smiled as I whipped out my cell phone.

"Ha..? Akako?" Came his voice. "I just went to sleep! Weren't you the one to tell me to get some rest?!" He whined childishly. "And how the hell do you have my number?!"

"Listen KID. Lucifer has a question for you." I cut in before he could ask any more. I could hear him shoot up and out of his bed and tense.

"And?!" He demanded. "What does the big guy want?" He asked seriously. It was supposed to be a joke I guess, but his tone was all wrong.

I was silent for a moment, but Lucifer, who was standing silently in his flame, nodded approvingly. "He said, 'are you sure you san to know?'." I said. "And he isn't that big unless in his true divine form. He looks like a human who glows red and is actually really uhh..." I looked at him nervously. "Tell you later." I snapped. "Anyway, can you answer the question?"

"Tantei-kun already warned me his secret would be bad." He replied immediately, catching me off guard.

"Really?" I asked him. "He's giving you information?" I asked, making sure Lucifer could hear me. He only nodded with a grim expression, that turned into a wicked smirk.

"Yes." He answered. "Do you know what he calls himself?" I felt the heartbroken and bitter tone and it shook my soul.

"What?" I whispered. I was afraid for my friend. I knew he was going to face something terrible.

"Pandora's box." It was then that I knew this boy was involved in something like KID was."and yes. I want to know." He answered.

I nodded even though he couldn't see me. Yet Lucifer took it as a sign for himself. His wicked smirk grew wide and his eyes gleamed with the fire of pleasure of evilness.

"Edogawa Conan." His voice rumbled loud enough to be heard through the phone and I held it out to him.

"What can be wrong with you Tantei-kun?" I barely heard through the phone.

The air was tense and the flame crackled loudly once. "Edogawa Conan..." He started again. "Does not exist." His voice seemed to be a voice of fire itself. It was quietly spoken, but the loudest it could be. The words have probably inflicted more on KID than me.

I knew that KID was going to despair over it. His soul would shatter should this boy disappear.

~ done! So now we are done with the 'get over Ran and introduce KID' arc for Shinichi/Conan. Next chapter we face KID's heist, and the aftermath as an opening to the next arc.

If anyone can figure out the heist note, even a little bit of it, I will give them a sneak peak at the next chapter. Depending on how much you've deduced, your reward will be measured. Good luck everyone!

RoseAngel: thanks! Enjoy the best chapter too! I'm glad you liked it so much!

Nika: bro. Your name is wicked cool! That's my nickname in real life too! That's awesome! Anyway, I hope you can continue to read this and review!

I had you guys going there didn't I? With that whole, 'someone's else's breathing?' Yeah well, it's too early for anything to happen right now! Maybe next chapter or something! For now, bye bye! I'm going to work on Happy Chocolate for other readers! Ja ne!

~crescent


	6. Chap6: Murphy's Law

Chappie six

Hey guys! I was a little disappointed that no one tried to deduce the heist note, so no one earned a sneak peak... :( but I did get a good amount of reviews! So I'm happy. Anyway, we are going to be moving on this chapter to the heist, and we'll watch as the relationship between Meitantei-san and KID develops a little more. So enjoy!

P.s. the beginning is kinda stiff in atmosphere, don't worry, it's on purpose. And if you find an "(insert)" please tells where that is. I already fixed one, but I think there was one more, though I can find it.

Chapter name: Murphy's Law.

Kudou household

Night before Heist

Normal POV

Shinichi sighed as he sunk into an arm chair, holding his invite and a copy of the heist note from KID. After a moment, Heiji mimicked the action.

"Damn it!" He sighed. "What da hell does 'we will ride 4869' mean!?" He demanded, glaring purposefully at the innocent paper in his hands.

"It says we will ride 'Sherlock' Hattori. But I don't know what that means." Shinichi replied cupping his chin. He gazed at Hattori for a moment, who was trying very hard to decipher this note. "You wanna eat a snack?" He asked after a tired sigh.

Hattori perked up. "Do ya have Tokyo's instant ramen? I really like dat one." He asked excitedly.

Shinichi laughed at his best friend's childish antics. Yet something went off in his head. A few alarms with red lights and everything."Yea try the pantry." He waved a hand in the general direction. Shinichi stopped suddenly and stared down the hall where the pantry was. Then he did something that made him look crazy; he laughed manically. Of course, only he knew why.

"Oi Kudou. Are ya sure yer not hangin' out with KID too much?" He asked worriedly, examining his friend up and down as the man laughed. "Oh my- Kudou!" He whined in frustration, stomping a foot and stopping his friend's laughter. "What's so damn funny?!" He demanded childishly.

Shinichi took a moment to stop his laughter. "Hold on Hattori." He looked at his friend with a half disgusted and half amused face. "Did you just stomp your foot? I thought only girls did that. In the movies." He raised his eyebrows.

"Blame Kazuha damn it! She's been takin' me out to see dat stupid vampire series with da huge dogs 'n' whatever." He waved it off. Now we know Hattori isn't a fan of Twilight. "Anyway! Answer da question!" He demanded.

Shinichi sank back into his arm chair with a content and dreamy smile. "Well Conan figured something out about KID and I just figured out the heist note. Not only that but I have a special gun in store for him..." He crackled with evil laughter after an malicious smirk. Of course, Hattori didn't know that he was referring to the thief's Ichthyophobia as a major weakness to be used later.

"K-kowai." Hattori shuddered as he went to the pantry. "So ah... What's dat special gun ya got?" He called as Shinichi stood up and stretched.

After a yawn that could rival a giant's, he answered snickering. "A gun that Haibara let me borrow." Shinichi strolled into the kitchen and shuffled around a cabinet that contained another of his 'toys'. Before Hattori could come back, he cocked it. "You wanna see them? I have them in my room." Shinichi stated as he put the toy away in his white blazer.

"Lemme just put da ramen in da microwave if we're gonna do dat den." Hattori replied, causally tossing the ramen in his right hand and catching it again like a baseball.

Shinichi grinned. "You know how to use the microwave right?" He teased. Theory testing while acting. Smooth move Shinichi. Smooth indeed.

A vein popped on Hattori's forehead. "Ano ne..." He growled. Shinichi ran before he could explode completely. "KUDOU!" He roared, stomping around the kitchen angrily. Shinichi just laughed again as he swung the door open to his room and picked up the various toys that were lying in the corner. During that moment, a plan began to form in his head, pieced professionally together as a detective.

Then he spotted a small thing on top of his desk and smiled. Shinichi gingerly picked them up off of the desk and fingered the rims affectionately. His favorite thing as Conan; his glasses. For a moment, he missed the easy life of Edogawa Conan, but knew he was returning soon so he just put the glasses on for now. A warm source of comfort, but only because of the purpose they were serving at the moment for his plan.

'Please let this work.' He prayed silently with a sigh as he sank into the chair at his desk. Shinichi's eyes moved to a picture sitting innocently on his desk. He slammed it down immediately, hating to see it out of guilt and betrayal.

"Okay Kudou! Show 'em to me!" Hattori galloped into the room, his annoyance completely forgotten. Then he did a double take. "Uhh.. What's with da glasses?" He asked.

Shinichi took them off and laughed nervously. He felt his suspicions confirm and a slight disappointment. "Oh these? They're just my reading glasses!" He stared hard at the glasses before putting them down. 'That's all I can do.' He thought with a sigh. At least his suspicions were confirmed.

"Ah okay. So, are dose da special guns?" He asked, lying down on Shinichi's bed with his head proper up by his elbow.

Shinichi felt his head spin at the scene, so it took him a moment to reply. Of course, you wouldn't know why it spun unless you knew his suspicions. "Ah yeah!" He took one into his hand and then tossed it to Hattori. "You wanna try one?" He asked grinning.

Hattori caught it in his hands uncertainly. "Didn't ya say dat girl made 'em?" He pointed the gun at the ceiling and then turned his head to face Shinichi again. It seems as though Shinichi's deduction is supported even more now."Should I really be pullin' da trigger?"

Shinichi nodded smiling. "That gun almost killed me. Try pointing it at me and shooting." He almost laughed at how it sounded and Hattori's reaction.

Hattori sat up in alarm. "Why would I shoot ya if it almost killed ya?" He demanded, but pointed the gun at him anyway. Shinichi smiled and made a 'go on' gesture encouragingly. "If ya say so. It's yer funeral." Hattori shrugged and pulled the trigger.

There was a loud bang and the gun sprouted a bouquet of red roses at Shinichi like it did when he was in the hospital room with Haibara. "Bam!" Shinichi mimicked, giggling a bit. He shot Hattori back with a finger gun, and a playful grin rested on his face. "Cool right?"

Hattori gave a small but low whistle. "Wow. Dat girl has it in 'er." He examined the gun carefully for a few minutes. His fingers ran nimbly over the entire frame of the gun, while his face had a look of utter concentration. It was as though he could see the inside of the gun and was memorizing how to recreate it.

Shinichi watched seriously and carefully at his movements the entire five minutes of silence before he smiled. "Thinking about making a copy for your heists?" He asked.

Hattori whipped his head around to look at him so quickly, Shinichi thought it would snap right off of his neck. They stared at each other for a long time. 'Hattori's' gaze was scanning him for any sudden moves while Shinichi only crossed his legs and set his elbow on the desk, following the movement was the action of resting his head in his hand. His smile was like a still and unnatural mask, while it hide a sun full of warmth behind it.

Hattori sighed and coughed a bit. "When did you find it out?" He asked, crossing his legs and arms as he sat on the edge of the bed. "What did I do to tick you off?" His voice had returned to normal, the same one that people mistake for Shinichi's own.

Shinichi smiled. "The entire time I was around you was so different it was difficult to breathe."he hesitated. "Okay that was a lie. It was actually kind of educational and fun." He glanced nervously at the thief, feeling his ears grow pink at his confession.

The Hattori copy threw back his head and laughed happily. This embarrassed Shinichi so much, his face turned more pink than a strawberry. The thief finally calmed down and spoke lines that shook Shinichi's heart. "I feel the same way, Meitantei. However, I feel like I've met you and just cant remember you." he tapped his head in thought.

Shinichi began his deductions again, just to fight back that blush. "It's too bad because it was so hard not to just pull out handcuffs and catch you, but I had to act like you were Hattori. Believe me, that was so hard because of how unnatural your, I guess I should say, aura, felt around me. Too much guard not enough friendliness." Shinichi said as he fiddled with the glasses he had in his hands.

"Sorry I'm not your beloved best friend." KID muttered, rolling his eyes with a sigh.

Shinichi laughed and waved it off. He stopped fiddling and stared at the thief intently, calculating what he was about to say. "Anyway, what gave it away first was when you didn't know what '4869' meant. Hattori is one of the few people around me who know that number for it's meaning." He explained as he swallowed some saliva and took a deep breath.

"Then there was the ramen. Hattori absolutely hates Tokyo ramen. Ever since I got him to try some the second or third time we met here." KID nodded, paying specific attention to the details. "Third; Hattori would never go to a chick flick with Kazuha unless it was a date, and I wouldn't have not heard about it from him or from Ran."

Shinichi smiled. "Fourth; only you'd have the gall to disguise as him right in front of me and stomp your foot like that, even though it's not really evidence. Just a playing factor in my deduction." KID sighed with loss. "Fifth; Hattori doesn't refer to Haibara as 'that girl', but as 'biochemist-neechan' or 'Sciency-neechan'. Sixth;" He was proceeding quickly so that KID wouldn't think too much on the 'neechan' part. Shinichi was smirking now, enjoying that he was on a roll. "I have a new microwave. I just got it the last time I came by. Actually, Ran bought it and Hattori didn't know how to work that microwave yet since it's the newest addition that hasn't arrived in Osaka yet."

Shinichi shuffled some papers on his desk around with a sigh. "I must congratulate you on how you got angry at me when I asked if you knew how to work a microwave. Very hot blooded detective like." Shinichi nodded with some snickering accompanying it.

KID was silent for a while. "Meitantei-san..." His voice was quiet and slightly uncertain, but it brimmed with confidence. Shinichi turned around in his swivel chair feeling a bit alarmed.

"Yes?"

KID hesitated, biting his bottom lip a bit. "You ah... If I remember correctly, don't own reading glasses." Shinichi immediately felt his world brighten a bit. "because the last time I disguised as you, I did a check up on your medical records to help my acting... You have twenty twenty vision." He looked at the glasses in the table as though they were fragile.

"Your point?" Shinichi asked cautiously. His heart raced madly in his chest like Occ-chan's horse races. He gulped in anxiety. Will Shinichi's plan work? He just wanted to give KID a hint to his alias.

"I'm just asking..." He locked eyes with Shinichi with such a determined look, Shinichi grew concerned. "Are those, by any chance, Tantei-kun's?"

Shinichi felt his eyes widen as his grip on the glasses tightened. He forced a smile. "Yeah. Conan has uh.. Been using them as a gadget. These are actually mine, but I left them here and Hakase fixed them up for him while I was gone. Cool huh?" He lied quickly with a small laugh.

KID grew irritated. "You're a horrible liar Meitantei-san." He stated with an annoyed huff.

Shinichi felt his face etch into a hard scowl at the words but got control of himself again. This did not go unnoticed by the moonlight magician in his bed. "Yeah I am when it's not for a purpose." He admitted.

"Then those are really Tantei-kun's?" KID stood up eagerly. "Last time I saw him, he was wearing them, and he told me he never took them off because of his bad eye sight." KID sighed and looked out the window wistfully. "Is he really on vacation?" He asked quietly.

Shinichi smiled sadly before hardening his face into the same poker face that rivaled KID's. "That information is classified." He stated. Shinichi's gaze locked once more with KID's and both had a lot emotion hidden behind them. The emotions flashed furiously in their eyes, while they wondered what to say next.

KID's gaze held worry and despair for 'Tantei-kun'. Sometimes even anger or irritation at 'Meitantei-san'. Shinichi felt the most he could in this situation. Protection and determination, sadness and surprise, and even a bit of frustration flashed through his eyes. But both of them had one thing in common. Love for the other filled their eyes to the brim.

Shinichi hardened his gaze further, knowing that his next words might be fatal. He held the gaze of the thief, not allowing him to look away. "Need not to know KID." Shinichi said in accented English.

The thief froze in place like a garden statue and sighed. His poker face slammed down on full drive, hiding the urge to throw something in frustration. He went back into his usual smirk and blew a smoke bomb to return into his usual attire. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow night I suppose. Mei-tan-tei-san~!" KID sang. "I won't go too easy on you."

In a sweep of his mantle and another cloud of smoke, the thief was gone as though he was never there at all. The only trace left was a small rectangular prism keychain, that held a deep blue rose in the centre. Blue sprinkles floated in the clear water as Shinichi peered through the container in the light.

A note was left behind, scribbled in KID's beautiful cursive handwriting. 'Pass this on to Tantei-kun for me. Since its likely you'll be able to see him before I can. Ja. *KID doodle* '. Shinichi clutched in in his hand, knowing the meaning.

'The impossible. The unattainable.' With that thought in mind, Shinichi collapsed onto his bed where KID once was, taking in the new fragrance next to his own. He knew Hattori was probably sleeping in a closet or something peacefully. Maybe he should leave him there. He'd already had a rough day so he was tired. He hugged the spot where KID was, allowing himself to indulge in the new and rosy scent.

When he woke up that morning, Hattori chewed him out for the 'Goodnight Kudou' thing. Then he took him out to Haibara's to tell her about the breakup with Ran, so he didn't have to tell the story twice. After that he came home again to make lunch and discovered his new microwave from Ran a while back. A note was left inside saying she bought it for his birthday while he was gone. He and Hattori were sitting down and trying to work the simple thing out without exploding anything. That effort was fruitless in the end, but resulted in a lot of laughter.

The rest of the day was relaxing until they decided to look at thief heists notes. Hattori left to go to the toilet at one point and that's when his behavior changed. Later all of this happened, so his day was pretty banged up. In the end, he did get the heist note figured out and gave KID a hint about his identity. So at least some good things came out of the day. Knowing all of this, Shinichi allowed himself to fall into a deep slumber, that was plagued with nightmares.

*Shinichi's dreams* his POV

I just finished talking to Genta on the phone about getting to Hakase's at four am for bug catching. Ran-neechan was humming to herself while making curry rice for dinner. I ran through my head a list of the supplies I would need since we would be hunting late into the night in Beika Park.

"Conan-kun?" Ran-neechan's voice came from behind me. I turned my head to her as she smiled gently. "Did you forget a flashlight?" She asked before turning back to her curry.

"Ah!" I shot up from my spot. "Arigatou, Ran-neechan!" She smiled at me again in reply as I raced down into the office part of the agency.

I didn't bother to flick on the lights because I knew where the flashlight was. The door flung open noiselessly and I bounded over to the drawers in the bookshelf type thing. "Ah... I think it was in here..." I mumbled as I rummaged through the drawer. My hand closed over the item I was searching for. "Atta, atta!" I felt my face grow into a triumphant smile as I flicked it on once.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise outside the door. I drew my attention away from the flashlight and to the direction of the noise. "Ran-neechan?" I called childishly. The door swung open again as I popped my head out the door and around it to see outside. "Occ-chan is out playing mahjong tonight so it can't be him." I thought aloud.

Nothing was downstairs when I peeked down the stair way, where I could see the shadows of cars and pedestrians among the streets of Tokyo. There was even the lights from the traffic lights and a fire hydrant that couldn't hide anyone. Nothing was out of the ordinary, so I turned my head to see upstairs, and nothing was different there either.

"My imagination." I decided with a nod as I turned back and closed the door. Then my heart ran at 500mi/hr as I looked into the same heartless, and cold, eyes of the very person who stuffed Apotoxin 4869 down my throat. "Gin." I choked out in a whisper. Gin's hand flew at my mouth and he pushed me against the door with a head throbbing slam.

Immediately, I began to claw at his huge hand. "Yo, Kudou Shinichi." His smirk spread and his voice was like snakes hissing and waiting to bite and kill me with their poisonous fangs. "It's been awhile. Or should I say, Edogawa Conan? To think you were alive all this time, and as a kid no less."

"It's the biggest surprise Aniki." Vodka piped up from the left side of the door, or my right.

"Conan-kun?" Ran-neechan's voice called from upstairs.

Gin's smirk grew wide and malicious as he picked me up and turned me face the door with his left forearm under my chin. He gave a curt nod to Vodka and put his head at my right shoulder with a laugh. Immediately, it was as all of the blood in my head froze and reacted by not allowing me to feel any part of it. Almost like when your foot falls asleep, expect more intense and in your head.

Vodka pulled out a gun and I felt my heat skip a beat and freeze in the middle of the jump. My heart had come to a screeching halt. "Keep your eyes peeled." Gin laughed into my ear evilly. "This is the fate of all of those who become involved with you."

Vodka pointed his gun at the door and Ran's voice came through again. "Conan-kun? Is something wrong? I thought I heard something crash." She stated. Immediately, I began to thrash in Gin's grasp.

"Ran-neechan! Kuuro na! Ran-neechan! Ran-neechan! Hana se! Kuuro na! Ran-neechan! Ran!" All of my screams came out muffled behind the giant hand and Gin and Vodka laughed at my efforts.

"Conan...-kun?" Ran walked into the room as the door opened. Her eyes widened in surprise at the situation and my expression then Vodka pulled the trigger.

"RAAAAANNNNNNN!" I released in a blood curling scream as I shot up from my bed covers.

I panted until I caught my breath in my lungs again. My head was clutched between my two hands, while my elbows rested on my thighs. I searched for my glasses, which seemed to have been lost while tossing and turning. I couldn't find them... Oh no. I flung the blankets around searching everywhere. "Nai. Nai. Nai. Nai...nai!" I cried searching the floor. I bumped into the wall after sitting on the bed with my shoulder, making me take a good look around the room I was in.

The sun was streaming into the room and I pushed away the blankets. "What a nightmare." I felt relief flood over me like water in a pool as I put my head in my hand again, reviewing the dream. I looked up and noticed something. The dream wasn't over, because I wasn't at home just yet. I hate dreams within a dream.

I was sitting in a bed without springs, pushed up against a corner of the room I was in. In front of me, or across the room, were two large wooden doors, locked with a plank of wood running horizontally across the sides. The walls were made of brick and twenty meters high, and there was only one small window. When I looked up, I could see the sky; there was no my right, my shoulder was against the wall, and the bricks scratched it. To my left, was a desk and stools, and papers in wads or just plain sketches were scattered around as though they were supposed to decorate the floor.

"Father?" I called in someone's else's voice. No. I had no control over this body, I was just watching from this point of view.

I got off the bed and took a good look at my clothing. I was wearing one of those Greek dresses and gold bands right under both of my shoulders. "Yes? I'm over here." A voice answered from one of the stools in front of the desk.

"Is it done?" 'my' voice quivered with excitement and fear as the body looked around the room eagerly.

"Yes." The other man's voice was full of doubt but held a bit of hope behind it. "We should hurry, they won't be back until later. Come here." The old man stated.

The boy walked to the desk and for the first time I got a look at what was lying on it. Two pairs of bronze wings sealed together with wax. With a start, I realized who's body I was in. I searched the room, feeling my suspicions come true everywhere I looked. The walls were filled with sketches of inventions or even unfinished pieces left lying around. Yet everywhere you looked, the room was filled with tools hanging off of the walls. Then there was that window. When you looked out, you could see the place was on a cliff and the ocean lapped against it restlessly.

Icarus. I was in the body of the only boy who ever flew. I didn't want to be here. I knew the story. Yet I had no control over my nightmares, and I couldn't believe I was dreaming this.

"Icarus. Hold still." The old man commanded. With a mental gasp, I realized that the boy was already putting on one pair of wings. He was grinning with on thought in his head.

'We're leaving! We'll be able to escape! Goodbye Minos!' He was super excited and I could feel his heart pounding in his ears relentlessly.

"Father, I'll be putting yours on." The boy decided suddenly. "We'll go together. We can escape king Minos and you won't have to build forever." He chirped up happily. "You'll be able to rest!" I could feel the love and happiness literally bursting from this boy.

"Alright, Icarus!" The man laughed. "Please hold still. Keep in mind that we cant fly to close to the sun-" the man began to warn.

"Yes, father." The boy rolled his eyes and continued with a sigh. "The sun could melt the wax. And don't fly to close to the ocean too because it could loosen the wax when the salt gets in it." The boy finished with a grin. "Don't worry!"

Suddenly, there was banging on the wooden doors. "N-no!" The old man hissed, making his hands fly over the braces for the wings. "It's early for them!" He cried.

"Open up in the name of King Minos!" A low and husky voice boomed as the doors were being broken down.

The body of the boy snapped into action, taking the second pair of wings and fastening them onto his father's back. "We must hurry!" He hissed to himself. "They will break into the doors soon!" He fumbled with the braces as I read the emotions of the father who couldn't move.

Icarus was much faster with the braces than his father's slow and nimble hands. In only two minutes, the braces were securely on him and the doors crashed down. The doors were absolutely shattered by the sheer strength of the two buff guards who were barely breaking a sweat. A man in gold colored clothing, a jeweled crown, and a pure gold staff with a jewel placed securely on top stood behind them with a deep scowl etched hard into his face.

"Daedalus. Did you believe you would escape?!" He sneered. "You will work here forever, you old cheat!" He pointed a slender finger at us and smirked. "Get them." He commanded, and his guards flung at us. For a moment, I could see the KID task force!

The boy grabbed a hold of his father's arm and ran across the room. The guards dumbfounded at what they heard and not moving."We'll jump father! We must get out of here!" He called as he raced for the window. In a moment, he was jumping out of the window and dragging his father along. "We're out!" He gasped in disbelief.

They began to fall to the ocean and the wind made them let go of each other's hands. "Listen, Icarus!" Daedalus called over the roaring wind. "Open your arms out and flap them slowly!" He instructed. The man followed his own advice and was soon gliding in the air effortlessly. Icarus stared in disbelief and mimicked him uncertainly as he got close to the ocean. He flapped once, then twice, and then glided swiftly upwards. One more flap caught him up with Daedalus.

"Whooo who!" Icarus laughed as he twisted in the air. "Freedom!" He cried as he commanded the wings to soar higher. Soon he was bathing in the extremely warm sunlight and laughing with even more joy.

"Icarus! Stop it! Fly lower! That's the sun!" Daedalus desperately called from his place as he accelerated but remained at his regular altitude.

At that moment, I felt my brain escape from Icarus's and I was watching from above them as though I was standing on Plexiglas. The boy in the extremely well detailed bronze wings was drunk with freedom, and ignored his father's warning as he flew low. His feet skimmed the surface of the water and sprayed some all around him. He did the same with his right arm and kept ignoring his father's warnings. When he came back up, something had changed. This boy was now wearing KID's monocle, and Daedalus's appearance changed to that of his assistant. I gasped as I looked at where I was and searched behind me, into the sun. It was like a shadow connected me to the sun, because I couldn't move. Before I knew it, 'KID' was flying back up towards me, or the sun, reaching a hand to me and laughing as his beautiful wings drooped dangerously.

"Yame te! Kuuro na!" I screamed, but my voice sounded distant. Then the worst happened. The wings finally gave up and way. Bronze feathers fell away from the wings as he fell down screaming my name.

"Tantei-kun!" He called as his body turned and a wing wrapped around him like a sash flowing backwards. He began to make a nose dive for the ocean and I still couldn't move. He screamed more and his assistant or father tried to chase after him, but the boy fell into the water with a large splash. And KID never came up again. The only thing left were his monocle and a few bronze feathers.

KID was Icarus and my secret, or I, was the sun to his wings. I knew what this meant. Both of the nightmares I had, had were warnings; not to do anything selfish or rash.

I sat up the same way I did when I first 'woke up'. My head was in one of my hands and I was panting, covered in cold sweat. I searched for my alarm clock and saw that it was... Shit. Six PM. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal Hattori carrying a tray full of porridge and pikaru.

His face showed worry, but he ginned anyway. "Yo, Kudou! How ya feelin' ?" He asked as he sat on a stool beside my bed. The tray was pushed into my lap and the aroma almost intoxicated my senses.

"Was... Was I asleep for the entire day?" I gasped, taking my gaze across the room and out the window.

Hattori nodded solemnly and furrowed his eyebrows. "Ya had da worst fever I've ever seen. I thought maybe dat da drug was actin' up, so I called Sciencey-neechan. Den ya started ta shrink again and grow back, like a flickerin' image." Hattori described. "Neechan was here da entire time, makin' sure it didn't kill ya 'n' givin' ya a bunch of medicines. She went to sleep on yer couch when ya went down ta a regular fever." He finished. After a pause, he spoke again. "Were ya havin' a nightmare?" He give me a quizzical look.

"Hell yeah." I nodded gloomily. "Worst nightmares ever. I blame the fever." I said sighing. Hattori took that as a clear message, 'don't press me until I figure it out'. It was something that seemed to pass between us a lot.

"Alrighty Kudou!" Hattori smiled and rubbed his hands together. "Dat heist is in three hours if ya still want ta go." His voice held a tone of challenging and taunting.

I grinned wildly. "Are you kidding?" Hattori moved away and I got up and out of bed. "He sent an invite to both of me. I'm going to kick his ass with new toys this time. We'll see who the real magician is this time around." I crackled with triumphant laughter.

"Ya sound like Nakamori keibu when he thinks he's got an excellent plan ta defeat dat elusive thief." Hattori commented as he opened the door and strode out. "Ya should take a shower. Ya stink of bodily fluids, as Sciencey-neechan would say." Hattori winked and tumbled down the stairs.

'Strange.' I thought. 'Its not like KID would still be here, so Hattori's on the verge of tricking me to do something for him. I better watch out.' I calculated as I shrugged out of my boxers and tee-shirt.

I threw the clothes into the hamper in the corner of my room and strolled into my bathroom, locking the door behind me. Taking a quick glance in the mirror, I noticed something around my rib cage. My thoughts raced as I threw on the shower and adjusted the temperature.

I felt the cool tile floor as I walked back to the mirror and inspected myself again. My body was very thin. As in very thin. Too thin to be Apotoxin's fault. Was I eating the right portions as Conan? I raked a comb through my hair as I thought back the last few weeks. I finally realized that the last time I had actually ate a healthy amount of food was the curry the night before Conan left. I was thinking too much about Ran during those weeks, and I remembered Ran scolding me as Conan for not eating as much as an eight year old should.

'Aww gosh. I need to eat. A lot.' I thought as I jumped into the shower. 'I look almost scrawny.' My bottom lip puffed out in a type of pout as I let the running water relax my creaking bones.

The shower was just what I needed after that amount of sleep, so I felt completely refreshed when I stepped out ten minutes later. I lazily chose a white blazer, blue shirt, and a black tie to accompany my black dress pants. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror on the wardrobe door.

I blinked twice, realizing what I had picked out. "Hmm. Very KID like. I guess that psychology professor was telling the truth about what happens when you allow something to occupy your mind." I muttered, cupping my chin in thought. "What was his name? Dr. C. Niall?" I paused and mulled over the name until I burst into a fit of snickers. "Now we know that guy's name is an alias, and a joker." I looked in the mirror once more and a flash of white caught my eye.

I turned around in the direction where the white had come from. "A flower?" I asked aloud as I strolled to my window. "No. Two flowers." I corrected, taking the flowers into my hands. I checked outside the window by swiping the curtain out of the way in a quick motion. Nothing was there, not a single sign of white from the sender.

The first flower was a white poppy, while the other was a wild sorrel. Both of them were beautiful and I didn't remember what the white poppy meant. However, I was sure the wild sorrel was for Hattori. I inspected the flowers for a while longer, in the middle of my room, racking my brain to figure out the meaning.

I took the flowers with me and headed down stairs to find a generally happy Haibara, and an anxious Hattori. "Yo." I greeted, smiling happily while tucking the white flower into my breast pocket.

"Kudou-kun!" Haibara breathed worriedly. "How do you feel?" She demanded in her typical monotone. She grinned at the white poppy in my pocket, a mischievous and all knowing glint in her eyes.

Hattori stopped pacing the room and listened in on the conversation. "Good as new! Thanks to you." I smiled gratefully and shrugged. "I would've died without you guys three thousand years ago." I exaggerated.

Hattori laughed and clapped me on the back, while eyeing my flowers. "Wherd'ya get those?" He asked pointing at them. I held the wild sorrel up to his face with a provokingly smug grin.

"A wild sorrel." I said allowing him to smell it. "From someone. Do you know what it means...?" I wagged a finger at him and winked. "Ha-to-ri~?" I sang. He blinked with confusion and took the flower into his hands. "Wit ill-timed." I concluded with an even wider grin.

Inside my head, I felt numbers being ticked off up to the number named five. During those seconds, Hattori's face began to turn vividly red. "Who da hell sent this?!" He roared at the flower.

I shrugged and winked at Haibara who was smiling and rolling her eyes at my antics. "I dunno." I said innocently, spreading my hands out in relaxed body language. "Probably the same person that knocked you out and posed as you last night. You woke up in the bathroom or a closet right?"

Hattori nodded. "I was gagged 'n' my hands were tied. Da guy took my clothes!" He shuddered. "At least he left a bowl of chips in my lap. Yet da idiot fergot it was like I was handcuffed!" Hattori sat down for a moment and breathed, trying to calm himself.

Haibara took this chance to jump in. "So the guy who broke in was KID?" She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. I nodded with a curios glance at her body language. "Just as I hoped." She muttered. It was as though something was confirmed for her.

Just then, Hattori side glanced at me, his head in one of his hands. "I ain't stupid Kudou. Next time you'll say 'good night Hattori' when yer about ta fall asleep. Dat only happened 'cause I was sleepy. Got it? Or I'll tell 'Neechan about yer blowing up her new present so quickly."

"Wagatta!" I laughed, putting my hands up in a surrendering motion. "And I thought you got over that yesterday morning! Geez! Talk about holding a grudge." I joked. He shot me a glare, but I ignored it and continued speaking. "So are you ready to go? I wanted to show you what I have in store for KID." I crackled with evil laughter and clapped my hands once with delight.

Hattori smirked evilly. "Ah... Da ol' underrated revenge right? Ohhh, dis heist is gonna make KID regret ev'r tryin' ta disguise as me!" He shook a balled fist with determination, and we high-fived.

Haibara watched us with a small smile that seemed a bit smug. "Well. Kudou-kun. You still have a fever, even though its slight. Whatever you do, no pushing your body to the limit, or you'll only get worse." She warned. "Think KID for this heist." She advised with an evil smirk. "You already have the card gun, do your worst." She said as she left walked out of the room with a wave.

Hattori and I stood in silence for a moment, checking our watches and cupping our chins in deep thought. "Ne Kudou..." Hattori locked eyes with me as evil smirks spread over both of our faces. "Are ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin' 'bout dat comment?"

"If you mean control C and the wire of a mouse, than yes." I nodded. I froze, thinking on that. "That sounded so much better in my head." I said as I climbed the stairs to my bed room.

"Yeah man. Don't worry, I still know we're thinking' da same ding. We're gonna need a huge bag of stuff, 'n' we ain't got a lot of time. Let's hurry." He urged as we entered my room.

I grinned. "It's gonna take a big gym bag Hattori. Mind finding one? I'm gonna gather our 'supplies'." I emphasized.

Hattori grinned back. "Roger!"

'Let the heist begin KID. Let the heist begin.' I smirked.

With our 'Ever Elusive' Theif

KID was surveying the area with his trusty binoculars.

His theme song played in the background inside his head as he licked his lips with satisfaction. Police officers were running around the place like headless chickens, however, there were very few this time. That was to be expected, because all the fun happens in the air. He gave one last sweep of the area and checked his watch.

'Time to get a move on.' He thought while walking across the rooftop of a building ten blocks away. 'I wish...' KID stopped himself right there. 'No. There is no use mulling over it. You're the one who didn't take into consideration everyone's schedules.' He accused himself sharply.

The rooftop door swung open soundlessly and he walked briskly through it. His heart wasn't pounding just yet, but his fingers were busy playing with his clothes of a coin with anxiety. At the moment, he was wearing a copy of Shinichi's clothes, not that he knew it himself, with different colors. His dress pants were the same ones he wore with his suit, just because they were harder to change out of. His top consisted of a red blouse, a white tie, and a black blazer. The black bought out the violet twinkle in his eyes as he strode toward his destination, no disguise at all. Just one Kuroba Kaito, taking a ride in an airplane.

That's right. The heist is on the night of a lunar eclipse, or tonight. The cabin in the woods was a plane cabin for first class. Why was the fire not affecting the forest? Because it burned down the cabin that fell from the sky. Not that he wanted that to happen, it just gave a hint to the detectives about the target. Ahh yes, the ever burning Flame of Destiny.

The jewel was an eye catcher, and was why he was after it. The color was a beautiful red, tinged with orange and yellow in the middle and bottom. Like a true flame, which absolutely suites the name of the jewel. Not only that, but it was just like Pandora because of the jewel it had on the inside, increasing his chances. The name Destiny was given by the first owner in honor of his wife's meeting while discovering the jewel for the first time. Definitely romantic.

KID walked into the airport, hearing flight names being called off and his flight being held down by the police. There were more inside here, yanking on the cheeks of every person who passed by the gates of plane 4869, mystery airlines. He knew there was probably some mystery otaku behind all of it. The violet eyes of this thief passed over the crowds, searching for Nakamori-keibu.

Once the thief passed him because he was extremely quiet in talking to the detectives. This didn't bother him as he strolled over anyway, a grin wide on his face. He took in the appearances of Tantei-han, Tantei-san, and Meitantei-san who were all sporting blazers like himself.

'It's in the fad these days. Even Hakuba can't help it.' He thought as he drew closer to the group.

Hakuba was sporting a honey golden blouse, white tie, and pink blazer to match his cream colored pants, they all complimented his hair and eye color. Meanwhile, Tantei-han was wearing a dark green blazer, an even darker purple shirt, and no tie to match his black pants that match Meitantei-san's. Tantei-han's dark skin tone and sea green eyes matched the purple and black, while contrasting the green, very good for him. Now Meitantei-san's outfit looked the best out of all of them. His outfit was strikingly similar to KID's at the moment, to the point where they could be twins if they wanted to.

"Namamori-keibu!" He grinned. "I made it!" He breathed as thought he ran a bit. "Did I miss anything?"

Kid's POV now

"Ah! Kaito-kun!" He smiled and clapped me on the back. Yep, there's definitely a plan. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Meitantei-san tug on Tantei-han's sleeve slightly. "You have to test out the trap we have this time for that thief! I don't think he'll be able to get out of this one!" Nakamori laughed.

"Of course!" I said turning to the detective's. "Hakuba." I greeted with a curt nod. "I see you're still trying to beat KID and failing." I said, not being able to resist the jibe.

"I see you're still testing all of the traps and saying they're okay. Even though KID gets through them every time. Suspicious if you asked me." He shrugged innocently after the retort.

I turned away with a 'humph!' to face Tantei-han. "Ah. You must be the person KID refers to as Tantei-han." I stated, putting my hand out. "Hattori Heiji of the west, right?" I asked.

Tantei-han smiled and shook my hand. "That's right. Now who are ya? Ya look so fami..." He stopped and turned to Meitantei-san, giving a short yelp of surprise. "O my Kami-sama! Deres two Kudous!" He looked back and forth between us.

Meitantei-san sighed in unison with me. "I'm not this guy!" We yelled at each other and jabbed a thumb to our sides accusingly. It looked weird since I was pointing to Meitantei-san and he was pointing to me. The Osakan just blinked.

"Right..." He said sarcastically. "Jus' like I'm not a super famous high-school detective." Ah, complimenting yourself while insulting others. Smooth move detective, very sneaky. "Kudou, why didn't ya tell me ya had a twin brother! We could've this guy a long time ago on 'Neechan ta get ya out of 'those' situations." He said as he grasped his friend's shoulders.

"Hattori." He replied in a warning tone. "I didn't tell you because I don't have a twin. Meet Ran's new boyfriend, Kuroba Kaito-kun." He gestured a greeting.

I grinned without teeth and bowed my stage bow. "Kuroba Kaito! Magician extraordinaire, at your service!" I poof-ed a red colored rose into his hands and he blinked with surprise.

"Yeah he does that." Meitantei-san said, scratching his cheek with his index finger. He gave a tired laugh that reminded me of Tantei-kun's 'Oi, Oi.' face.

"Long time no see, eh, Shinichi-kun?" I smiled at the memory of him being quite sneaky himself. He relaxed his face until I could read nothing and plastered on a fake smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes. It's been almost three nights." He rolled his eyes in amusement at my antics while I grinned wider.

I turned back to Nakamori-keibu when a glint caught my eye. "Geh!" I choked, instinctively hiding behind Shinichi-kun. This action earned me a surprised look. "Aoko! What da hell do ya think yer doin'?!" I yelled at a plant.

"Oh! Ten points fer da guy who does a better Osakan accent den Kudou!" Hattori cheered, earning himself an elbow to the stomach from the mentioned person.

The girl known to all of us as Nakamori Aoko stepped out from behind the plant, camera in hand. She closed it discreetly and laughed nervously. "Hi Kaito and everyone! I was just stopping by to bring lunches!" She said as she pulled a few bentos from her bag. "I heard airplane food sucks, so if you want to have some curry rice, then you can take these!" She said as she handed us wooden or plastic boxes wrapped in different colored handkerchiefs.

I took one from her and spun her around in thanks while dipping her low and giving her a purple rose. "Thank you to the Ojou-sama who kindly made us bentos. Okay?" I said letting her go. She laughed nervously and ran away after a goodbye.

"Nde?" Hakuba demanded. "What did you take from her?" He asked searching my face for clues.

I grinned. "Saasuga Hakuba!" I grinned showing them the camera order I took as we entered the plane. "She was recording us. For what reason, I wouldn't know, so I took her cell phone too!" I grinned wider.

"Eh?" A police officer escorting us asked. "Why the cell phone?"

Just as I was about to answer, Shinichi-kun stole the glory. "If she was taping it for someone, then she would've contacted them. If we search her messages or call log, we should find out who wants that recording." He explained in a bored tone.

"But that'd also be why Kudou took da memo pad in 'er jacket pocket. Right?" Heiji-kun jabbed him with an elbow. "You're worse den KID." He said as he sat down in next to Shinichi-kun.

I took a seat on Shinichi's other side and Hakuba sat across the aisle from us. "Ohhh~!" I sang, a smug smirk gracing my features. "Shinichi-kun, that's the third criminal act I've seen you produce. You probably took it when you grabbed her by the elbow and said there was something sticking to it. Like a plastic leaf or something." I theorized.

"Urasei." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Some older magician who came over my house a lot during my childhood taught me how to pick pocket when I was only in first grade. What a barbaric idiot." He rolled his eyes.

Hattori snickered and elbowed his friend. "Which childhood? The first or the second?" He whispered. I didn't hear it but read his lips.

Shinichi's face screwed up with the look of 'if you don't shut the fuck up right now I'll kill you'. "Ha-to-ri~" he smiled threateningly using a sweet tone. "I know about 'that'." He let that sink in as Hattori blanched and his face became horrified. "And I'm not afraid to tell Kazuha about it!~" he sang. "So bring up another childhood joke and..." He very solemnly took an index finger to his throat. I snickered as Hattori turned into the color of a Tokyoite and whimpered a bit.

Suddenly, a light bulb moment. "Ne, what does everyone think about KID choosing to steal on a plane? He did provide tickets at the booth prepared for us all. So why a plane?" I asked cupping my chin and 'hmmm'-ing.

After a few moments of silence, Nakamori-keibu piped up. "Argggh! Why would we care as long as he paid for it?!" He demanded. "Who cares what the thief decides? Didn't he say the entire world was his stage? Maybe he just wanted to try some sky magic again." He shrugged.

"Again?" Piped up Hakuba. "When did he steal on a plane before?" He asked, consulting his mini notebook. "I don't have that on record."

I sweat dropped and Shinichi-kun answered. "Ahh, those heists I remember well. Get snug boys, I'm telling a story while we wait for the heist time." He said shrugging into his seat.

I clapped my hands with delight. "Yay! Shinichi-kun's telling us a story! Nakamori-keibu, you listen too!" I smiled brightly. "Maybe we'll hear about how well you protected the jewel during those heists!"

That replied him in and he shrugged. "Well. Kudou-kun, if you don't mind me helping out to tell the story, then I'll join!" He was modest that man.

Shinichi stared wide eyes for a second at him. "Well Hattori, you were right when you said he was nothing like Occ-chan." He said calmly. Then he turned to Nakamori-keibu and smiled pleasantly. "Please do Nakamori-keibu. You could be able to insert what happened more on the police's side for one of the stories."

I flagged down a flight attendant. "Can I help you gentlemen?" On impulse to the word, a flower appeared in my hand, a fully bloomed red rose.

"If you could do us the honor of bringing two hot chocolates, one half and half coffee, one cup of Earl Gray tea, and a black coffee Ojou-san, then it you would have kindled the flame in this man's heart." I said solemnly patting the part over my heart. The women wasn't a day over twenty and I was eighteen, my features added a bit to the effect as I batted my eyes for a moment and she blushed.

"O-of course!" She stammered, taking the red rose. "I'll be right back sirs." She nodded.

Hattori cat whistled when she was out of earshot. "Go Kuroba! Now we have three players in the band!" He looked at Hakuba, Shinichi-kun, and then at me.

"Everyone wants to be a gentlemen these days." Hakuba rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, the first time KID the second," he looked around. "Because we all know it's different KID, he'd be way too old to be doing back flips and summersaults in mid-air." Everyone but Nakamori-keibu nodded.

He gave the evil eye at nothing in particular. "I knew it." He shook his head. "I knew there was something different from when I was chasing his almost ten years ago."

"Right." We all sweat dropped. "Anyway, the first time was when KID actually was on a plane. Does anyone remember that plane that crashed on a bay right along a road of police cars?" He asked.

Nakamori-keibu and Hakuba gasped. "He was responsible for that? I always knew he was a wild card." Nakamori-keibu said.

"Please hold all comments and questions until the end." Shinichi-kun stated calmly. "Anyway, no. KID wasn't responsible for the plane crash, it was two girls, a little boy, and KID. Well, I mean before the plane crashed." He elaborated for us. "So the jewel target was Josephine's sapphire ring, the Stone of Destiny. Now Josephine..." I tuned out and listened to the story, content with the fact that he knew so much.

We all nodded and I wondered what had happened. "So you were there right?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.

Shinichi-kun grinned. "Oh yes, through the entire thing." I racked my brains to see if we had ever met, because he should've confronted me if he was at that heist.

"Sorry, just makin' sure." I shrugged sheepishly remembering his statement about comments.

"'S all right. So Nakamori-keibu, Occ-chan, and the rest of the task force were on stage as priests during the final scene with Napoleon's and Josephine's wedding. It was very funny since they took their roles seriously. Right Nakamori-keibu?"

He nodded at the officer. "Yes. We all believed that KID was actually Napoleon at the moment, so we were gonna ambush him! So when the scene ended, we attacked him and confirmed that it was the real actor. Since 'Josephine' still had her ring, we believed everything was fine and that KID gave up."

"Right. Well, everyone knows Edogawa Conan right?" He asked, and everyone but I gave a nod. "You don't Kaito-kun? Oh yeah, you haven't met him yet." He shrugged. "Knowing who he is should be enough."

I nodded. "Ran-chan's younger 'brother' who 'free loads' at the Detective Agency. Right that little glass guy."

Shinichi-kun's shoulders went slack and I literally saw 'warugatta na' flash across his face as Heiji-kun snickered. "Yes him. So Conan went to find KID since he saw through his disguise..." I tuned out again watching the stars pass by through the window on my side.

Hakuba nodded. "There fore making KID's disguise invalid. Saasuga Edogawa-kun." I heard him say.

Shinichi-kun smiled brightly. "That's my cousin." He bragged. "Anyway, KID was chased until Conan rounded a corner and crashed into a guard, who told him to be careful. Then another guard showed up and asked what was wrong..." Shinichi-kun grinned at Hattori-kun.

"The bag?" He asked and Shinichi-kun nodded happily. We watched as Heiji-kun came down with a gym bag from the appropriate cabinet. "The bow tie right?" He asked shuffling inside the bag. Again this was answered with a nod from Shinichi-kun.

Hattori-kun handed Shinichi-kun a white bow tie. "Excuse me for the interruption." He said as he played with it for a moment. "I love effects." He grinned.

"Huh?" I asked. Shinichi-kun put he bow tie to his mouth, blew at it and put it down.

"Everyone close your eyes." He commanded. We all did as we were told besides Heiji-kun who knew what was going on.

"Ahh!" Cried a voice. "KID-niichan's escaping the plane!" I shot up along with Nakamori-keibu.

"Where is he?!" We both demanded.

"Right here." Replied Tantei-kun's voice from Shinichi's mouth. "Allow me to introduce to you all the voice changing bow tie, an invention made by Agasa Hakase, my neighbor." He turned the otherwise of the tie where we could see knobs. "This allows anyone to change their voice into anyone else's. It doesn't matter who or how old."

I clapped. "Wow! So are you telling the story with everyone's voices?" I asked.

He nodded, fiddling with the thing for a moment. "Ah... Ah..." He tested. "So the guard said..'is something the matter?' Where the over one said, 'it's nothing, just a hold who was running through the halls.' So Conan looked at them both and did that innocent child act." He looked as us grinning as the flight attendant returned with our drinks.

"Who were the hot chocolates for?" She asked. Both Heiji-kun and I put up our hands and she handed them over gently. "The Earl Gray?" Hakuba took his. "Is the black coffee for you officer?" She asked Nakamori-keibu.

"No it's for Kudou-kun." He pointed at Shinichi-kun and took the other cup from her hand.

Shinichi caught the hands of the lady and kissed the back of one of them tenderly. "Arigatou, Ojou-san." He smiled. "However, that's dirty of you." He stated, a cold smile and eyes gracing his features. He took a breath. "No one drink."

Immediately, Nakamori-keibu spit out his drink along with Heiji-kun. The grip on the woman's wrist was tighten considerably. "Kudou?" Hattori-kun asked and Shinichi-kun nodded.

"Yes please, if you would." He never took his eyes from the woman, his piercing gaze froze her in her movement. The only sound was Hattori-kun ruffling in the bag.

Suddenly, all noise stopped besides a uncapping noise and a small "zping!" The woman sang a bit and immediately fell down into a chair. Her breathing became level as we stared in shock at her, taking in the events.

"Thank you Hattori." He said calmly. "We should contain her until we land and take her to jail for attempted murder."

"Wait, wait, wait. So what did you do? Is she unconscious?" Nakamori-keibu asked waving a hand in her face.

"She's sleepin' thanks ta da tranquilizer wrist watch gun." Heiji-kun piped up. "Another one made from da Hakase ta Conan-kun 'n' Kudou."

"So how did you know she spiked the drinks?" Nakamori-keibu asked as Shinichi-kun pulled ropes and a gag out of the bag.

I stepped forward and interrupted with a huge grin. "May I?" I asked like a giddy child who wanted candy. My hands were held out in front of me to take the ropes.

He blinked but then handed them to me. "S-sure." He shrugged a bit uncertainly. "I smelled the almond scent on her hand."

I cleared my throat. "Saa Mina-san! You see the ropes, right? Nothing wrong with them or unusual." I showed them the rope was completely natural. I wrapped the rope as though I was playing Cat's Net with a rubber band with a wide grin, captivating the audience before me. "Ready?" I asked as I held the mechanism over our captive's head. "One, two, three!" I exclaimed in accented English. There was a poof of smoke that covered the beautiful assistant, and when you stepped back...

"No way! Dat would a taken meh hours ta do!" Heiji-kun gasped.

The woman was wrapped around in the ropes. Her torso was being hugged by her arms and her hands bound. There was a rope connecting the hands to the compartment above the seats so they were held up, rendering her powerless to anything. All of her legs up to mid thigh were roped to the sides of her seat, forming a tear drop shape in the middle of it.

Instead of only being gagged, her neck was bound to the head rest with the gag, so she couldn't bite. No one likes a dog who bites, unless your the stingy old man who owns it to keep kids off of your lawn. Finally, her mouth was taped and a bandana was over her eyes, making her seem more like a hostage than being contained.

Nakamori-keibu gave a low whistle as I bowed, throwing my audience a charming wink. "Amazing Kaito-kun! You're just like your father! You know," he said as we sat down. "He did that to me once. Before a show, since his wife was out shopping, he needed an assistant for rehearsal. But anyway!" He waved the topic off. "How did you know she spiked our drinks?" He asked Shinichi-san.

"Because it reminded me of what happened on the plane Conan and I were on to stop KID. So listen to the rest." Shinichi-kun commanded gently.

"No. Kudou's just paranoid when it comes ta airplanes. He'll probably tell ya 'bout dat too." Heiji-kun snickered. "His first case was a murder on a plane ta New York. Then, he was on dat blimp hijacking, and before dat, he was on dat plane with KID." His friend whacked him in the upper arm.

"So Conan noticed that the second guard's baton was longer than the permitted amount for a police officer in Japan." Shinichi-kun continued, completely ignoring the whimpers from the dark skinned detective behind him. "So the guard smiled like a creepy stalker and turned the top on his baton. It was actually a flash bomb! So Kid tried to escape but the little runt chased after him like Nakamori-keibu and his men." Shinichi-kun nodded as though he was bragging about his son or himself.

"Yeah, so ya probably made it ta da roof, den what?" Hattori-kun rolled his eyes.

Shinichi-kun just turned to him and solemnly put his index finger to cut across his throat. His eyes were dead serious and glowered dangerously. "All I'm askin' is fer ya ta speed da story up, we're getting close to da destination in like fifteen minutes if ya'll wanna prepare."

"Ok I'll do that." Shinichi-kun agreed. "So they face off as usual. KID with his card gun and Conan with his soccer ball belt and kick enhancing shoes, curtesy of Hakase." He added. "However, KID escaped explaining the jewel wouldn't be stolen yet. So just when Conan thought it was all over later that night as he was going on a plane, someone who supposedly was sick in bed showed up unscheduled. We let him on anyway." He shrugged.

"That was KID." I nodded thinking about this time with a small smile. He told the rest of the story non-stop, skipping over a few parts that involved himself and Mouri-chan

Shinichi then began to explain the murder case on that plane. "So the case that occurred was before the plane completely touched down in that bay's bridge. The make-up artist came over and handed the actress a box of chocolates, which eventually killed her because of cyanide poisoning."

"Don't tell me she did the same to our drinks?!" I demanded sniffing the cup. I froze. "Aww man! There's white chocolate almond in here! And another almond which is probably the cyanide, since it smells so bitter. She must've made it with vanilla almond chocolate so that it could mask the smell." I nodded.

"Well, the case was solved by Kisaki-sensei, Occ-chan's wife. Apparently, the make-up artist put the poison in her foundation and applied it to the actress's skin for slow poisoning. Then Conan remembered when he went to spy on the dead actress when she went into the cockpit before her death. The pilots removed their gloves and took her hand when they kissed the sapphire on her finger. Both men were taken out of the cockpit when the flight control fell and Conan recovered the plane."

Nakamori-keibu laughed. "You expect me to believe that little glasses brat could fly a plane?!" He demanded while slapping his lap.

Shinichi-kun snapped. "It better be true because I taught him in Hawaii! He would pilot planes on his own when he was seven!" Nakamori-keibu stopped laughing and Hattori-kun whistled low.

"Nice job Keibu. Have ya seen an angry Kudou? No ya have not. Or ya wouldn't be 'ere taday ta talk 'bout it." Hattori-kun grinned mischievously.

"So that guy came back and piloted the plane with Conan co-piloting due to him having a license and Conan showing such capabilities. Conan got him to spill his guts about him being KID, and gave him his deduction on why he kissed the ring."

I snapped my fingers. "Oh yeah! That's because a sapphire feels really cold when you touch it, so I'm guessing he was checking to see if it was a fake." I concluded.

"Correct!" Shinichi-kun smiled brightly. "So that's when the part about the auto pilot not working happens and the story continues until they crash down safely."

"Ahh~" I sighed. "Totally expected of that kid's luck. No wonder he's called 'Shinigami-kun' by the police force."

A vein popped on Shinichi-kun's forehead. "Really? I did not know that about him." He tried to smile. "That was the plane. Mean while, Keibu, can you tell them about what happened on your end while I go to the bathroom?" He asked standing up.

Nakamori-keibu nodded. "Can you check and see if this fox," he jabbed a thumb at the captive. "Has any supplies or partners left?"

"Of course." He nodded and left as I played with a coin, making it vanish and reappear as I always did when I was bored.

It was already ten minutes later that I grew impatient. My knee was bouncing with anticipation and my top lip twitched with annoyance. I growled, "I can't take it anymore!" I shouted, surprising everyone out of their sleepy stupor. "I'm going to check on him!" I decided, marching off.

"Ya didn't have ta wake us up dammit! I was almost asleep Kuroba!" Heiji-kun shook a fist at me sleepily.

"Gomen Heiji-kun!" I called back. He blinked, probably not remembering giving me permission to call him by first name. He shrugged anyway, so I was slightly relieved, not that I would stop calling him that.

The engine noises were relaxing. It was no wonder people felt the need to sleep with such a lulling noise and the stars to gaze at. However, relaxing places were meant to be ruined by a some magic even if only for a few hours. The edges of my lips twitched upwards as I thought about my heist and the excitement of it rushed through my veins. The attendants area came into view and I hid in the shadows, hopefully, another member would be in there.

"Is that attendant coming back?" A voice hissed. It sounded like a woman's. Lucky shot! "My finger's twitching with excitement." The voice quivered. "To believe he survived. It's almost a laughing matter." When you heard it, you knew the voice was cold and distrusting to the person the comment was directed to. I bit my tongue at the turn of events. Murderers. On this plane, meant for my fun heist! God why is it always me?! Screw you Murphy's Law. Screw you.

A colder, more mature voice laughed. "You'll have your chance, Chianti. As long as he doesn't escape again." A dirty-blonde with short hair appeared.

"Tch!" The other woman scoffed. Though, couldn't see her at all, I knew she probably was around the same height as I am. Considering where the voice came from. "He went to the cockpit." There was silence for a moment. Then, a sly chuckle broke it as the woman walked away.

The women left and I released a small sigh of relief. Immediately, I checked for any other drugs for the rest of the occupants. Luckily, there were none left. Creeping around the plane, I found a bathroom filled with drugged, bound, and gagged attendants. I gasped at the load.

"Suuge! You'd need to contort some of these people to fit everyone!" I let out a low whistle and slid the door shut. I didn't exactly care what happened to them, they'd be a nuisance to my heist anyway. Though it was a loss if audience members. I shrugged it off, knowing it was for the best this time.

Just as I attempted to leave, a cocking noise clicked behind me. I froze as I remembered something from a TV show. 'Sometimes, you don't have to look to know there's a gun being pointed at the back of your head.' My blood ran cold and the same dirty-blonde appeared, snaking an arm around my neck, warning me not to move or I'll be choked and then shot.

"Yo. Cool Guy." She smiled coldly making her piercing eyes seem to search my soul. "It's been a while. How's the Mouri Detective Agency going for you? Has Angel found you out yet?" She asked with a bit of excitement. It was as though she was talking about a game.

I arced an eyebrow at her. "Well. I didn't know Shinichi-kun knew such a beautiful and dangerous woman." I felt the edge of my lips twitch up in amusement.

She scanned my appearance once more as I stood straight enough for easy searching. She went from foot up and met my face. For a moment, I thought I saw red words flash across her left eye. No. I'm certain I saw it. Oh yeah! Jii-chan and Tantei-kun's Hakase were making it; the iris identity cam.

She smirked with recognization. "My, my, my. Well if it isn't Silver Bullet-kun's favorite thief; Kaitou KID. Nice to finally meet you." She stated, her voice filled with false enthusiasm.

"Ho~. Just who do I have the honor of meeting tonight? Especially one that has such vital information?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't get a straight answer.

The woman held the gun to my head, but walked around to face me, releasing my neck from the stone hold. "A secret makes a woman, woman." She replied in accented English. She was silent for a moment while thinking. "Well its too bad; we've caught a nice scent on him now. He might not escape." She warned casually, as though she was talking about a dog in a cage.

The woman wore the typical attendant's uniform, but her hair, though it was probably a wig, shimmered slightly in the lighting. Her azure eyes were cold and her skin glowed softly, bringing out the triumphant and confident smirk on her face.

"What?" I asked, not understanding the meaning behind her words. My mind raced with ideas making the riddle natured part of me work furiously. "You're planning a murder or a kidnapping?" I hissed, she just smiled wider in reply. "Perhaps I should inform you and your arrogant friends." Her interest piqued, but it had an amused smile attached to it. "This plane is occupied by myself and my detectives, the staff, though they're knocked out, and a few police officers. It would be stupid to commit a crime in a prison like this."

"Oh? Our thief doesn't know anything? So Cool Guy's still in the act." She thought for a moment. "Let me tell you something, because it'll become interesting with a new player. You can protect the ghost of a detective by protecting the other little Silver Bullet-kun." She eyed me carefully.

"That's a lot of information for someone you've just met." I commented, relaxing against the wall, my hands in my pocket. "Shouldn't you be more careful?"

She smiled, probably amused with my train of thought. "I like you." It was almost in a laughing tone. Her voice held a bit more warmth than before. Suddenly, she reached into her pocket, pulling out a small, hand made, envelope. The front had 'Silver Bullet-kun' sprawled on top in an elegant hand. "Pass this on to the ghost. He'll need it at one point."

I took the paper into my hand, "Can I at least have a name he knows you by?" I asked, eyeing the yellow envelope carefully. "He should know who the sender is right? It's not as though you put your name in this." I said, waving it around with my right hand and making it disappear in a small poof of a smoke.

A small smile of fondness took over her face at the action. However, as the moment passed, it quickly dissolved into a poker face. "That name on the front should let him know, but..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh yes. Araide-sensei. Tell him that." She waved goodbye and left calling back, "Have fun with your heist!"

I stared after her, my eyebrow creased in thought. 'This woman seemed like some one who belonged to a gang or an organization, since she said 'we have'. If so, why does she call Shinichi-kun "Silver Bullet-kun"? Why does she know about Shinichi-kun anyway? What does he have to do with such dangerous people?' I stored the questions away in a mini file cabinet in my brain and strolled to the cockpit. 'She called him a ghost of a detective. Wouldn't that be because if how often he appears and then suddenly reappears? I would think he was a ghost of it were me too.' I thought, storing that question away also. "I guess that's what bought me to think the ghost was him anyway." I muttered and then sighed. "I've gotten myself involved in something again, haven't I?" My shoulders drooped as I ducked into the cockpit.

There was Shinichi-kun, piloting the plane casually, even though the two pilots were passed out in the corner of the room. They were piled up like sacks of flour, and snored peacefully. "Ah! Finally!" Shinichi-kun interrupted my thoughts. "Perfect timing Kuroba-kun! Will you copilot?" He asked, patting the seat next to him with one hand.

I shrugged. "I don't know how to fly a plane though." I warned as I slid into the leather seat. I snatched the head gear off of the floor and put it on my head, bringing the microphone to my lips. I grinned wildly. "I'm flyin' a plane..." I whispered eagerly.

Shinichi-kun laughed. "That's fine." He shrugged, turning the plane slightly to the side. "I just need someone to do checks on altitude, gas, direction, and the level of panes we're going on." He side glanced at me for a brief second. "I can't afford to be distracted at all in a double pilot plane." He explained.

"So judging from the fact that you're the one flying this, the auto-pilot isn't working?" I asked, searching through the buttons. I peered at him after reading the altitude and gas. "Altitude at 12 kilometers, just above the troposphere. Gas on mid-tank judging from the gauge." I said.

"Thanks." he sighed. "No, the auto-pilot can be fixed if they wires are played with for a moment, but I can't do that and pilot, so I had to wait until some one came looking for me." He shrugged and allowed the plane to rise a bit in altitude for maintaining the direction we were going in. "Judging from the altitude when I got here, it looks like we were about to land on schedule." He flicked his wrist to check the time without taking his hands off of the control. "I wonder if KID'll find out about the situation and cancel his heist."

"Ehhhhh?" I cried. "Cancel? No way! I wanted to see KID live! Even after all the begging I had to do for Aoko's ticket..." I banged my head against the head rest. When I peeked over at Shinichi-kun's reaction, it was a small smirk or grin full of competition. Light bulb moment! "Ne ne! Shinichi-kun! What if you give me the instructions to fix the wires and then set it on auto-pilot and auto-landing? We have a lot of time!" I begged.

He frowned in thought and his eyes squinted a bit as he searched the skies. I kept my hands clasped in a pleading gesture and put on puppy dog face. "Please~. Come on Shin-chan!" I pleaded.

A vein popped on his forehead. "Don't call me that! How the hell did you figure that nick name out anyway?!" He demanded, tilting the plane right. As much as he wanted to face me, all he could do was give me a bunch of side glances every once in a while, making him a bit frustrated.

"That's 'cause Shinichi is too long. So instead of Ichi-chan, I called you Shin-chan." I smiled a bit, feeling a small and familiar nudging feeling at my heart. It was warm; like a toasty fire after playing in the snow. "So?" I pressed. "Please~?"

He rolled his eyes in defeat. "Okay Kaito." He glanced at me. "I should be able to call you that right? Because you're calling me 'Shin-chan'." I broke into a wide and sunny smile at his way of thinking.

"Oh yeah! I've never liked formalities." I helped him tilt the plane a bit to the left. "I'm more of a nick name person. Formalities are so..." I tried to think of a good word for the end of the sentence. "Formal. That's what. So formal." I finished with a nod.

Shinichi-kun laughed. "Okay Kaito, like it's not already implied." A sarcastic tone was in his voice as he rolled his eyes again. "Alright, see this glove-compartment-like thing next to my knees?" I nodded. "Come over here and follow my instructions, just once in a while check the gas and direction. Since we have to change direction in a bit, that annoying sunshine will escape my line of vision." He scowled at the sun as though it were the reason for all of the problems in his life.

"Hai hai!" I clambered over the seats and seated myself next to Shinichi-kun's knees. We began the process when I described what colors the wires were to him, and he asked if any wires were cut. I replied no and he scoffed with disappointment. "What does that mean?" I asked.

He tilted the plane to the right. "It means," he started harshly. "That whoever did this is a pro and just hijacked the plane's circuits by computer. It's the same as getting struck by lightening now. There's nothing to do but keep flying with this turn out." He chewed a nail in thought and irritation. "We've been tricked and trapped into this role."

I gasped. "No!" I felt the small hand made envelope inside my pocket grow heavier like a stone. "So we can't go anywhere?! She.." I stuttered. "She was telling the truth..." I whispered in realization and shock. I remembered that woman saying that Shin-chan would need help.

He peered down at me with curiosity. "She? Who's 'she'?" He breathed in with realization. "Masaka! You met one of the criminals?!" He demanded. "What did she look like?! Was she disguised as one of us?!" He barked.

An overwhelming fear washed over me. I wasn't afraid for myself. Hell no. I was afraid for the detective next to me. 'Should I really give him the little envelope? What if 'Ariade-sensei' was lying?! How would Shinichi benefit from a letter?!' I demanded mentally. I took a shaky breath and slipped back into the copilot seat, ignoring Shin-chan's calls as I thought. 'Calm yourself.' I demanded. 'What could a letter have? Think about what she said.' I thought back to our conversation.

Finally I came across the answer. 'He'll need it at one point.' She had said. 'What if this letter has what we need?' I picked it out of my pocket and stared at it. "Shinichi." I said, looking at the paper intently.

He glanced at me while turning the plane's direction. "What are you thinking about?" He asked calmly. "I haven't called out to you for the past twenty minutes and you were ignoring me before that too." He stated.

I blinked. "Aww!" I cried snapping a finger. "Twenty precious minutes of my life thinking about this?!" I thrust the envelope in Shinichi's face and he flinched. "A woman gave this to me. She said you'd need it eventually. Said they've caught your scent and that you might not survive." I told him, not allowing my voice to crack or seem weak.

He glanced at me, his features blank, but his eyes wide in shock and fear. "I can't open it while flying Kaito. Do me a favor and open it, then hold it out in front of me so I can read it." He instructed. He chewed his bottom lip a bit and all I could do was follow his instructions on auto-pilot while my brain pulled up a memory.

A memory of Tantei-kun chewing his bottom lip as he thought while in deep waters. I felt compelled to put my fingers on his lips the same way I did Tantei-kun, but that would be weird, so I thrust the paper in front of him before I could do anything without thinking. His face grew paler and paler as he read, his eyes skimming the page so quickly, it was over in a moment. He sighed deeply and steered the plane while a look of utter concentration came over his face.

"What is it Shinichi-kun? Can this help us get out of this situation?" I asked, placing the letter in his lap. I searched his face that seemed to have concentration masking all other emotions beneath it.

"I hope so." He sighed miserably. "I really hope so." He began flipping switches and glancing down at the paper in his lap, once in a while tilting the plane as we flew straight ahead. I only watched him and checked the gauges.

"Shinichi-kun." I said in a warning tone. "The plane is starting to drop into the troposphere, and there's a thunderstorm occurring in this part of Japan." I check our direction, feeling relief wash over me when I realized we were fine.

Shinichi righted the plane's altitude. "Sorry. Sorry." He muttered, still glancing at the paper in his lap. A head of sweat rolled down the side of his cheek along his jaw. He was working really hard, and he seemed to be getting tired.

"Shinichi-kun...?" I asked carefully. He glanced my way as in asking, 'yes?'. "Did that letter by any chance have the instructions for fixing the auto pilot?" I asked glancing down at the paper in his lap.

He sighed tiredly. "No. Actually, it didn't." He stated watching me carefully. His eyes darted around the room once as though a type of message. I followed suit after a moment of pause, finding a glint in the corner of the room. Camera. Someone was watching. Possibly bugs too.

"So what was it then?" I asked catching his eye and then turning to face the scenery outside. "And what are you doing with the switches?" He mimicked my actions and huffed, completely annoyed with something.

"It's a letter taunting my death. Like an advance notice just before it happens." He explained. "I'm just trying to jump start the plane by pressing or flipping a combination of switches, but so far, it's not working. I should be able to give it a few more tries and then it should work, but if it doesn't..." He trailed off.

"We're dead." I finished for him.

"Unless I could find a landing place for us nearby before the gas runs out. If this really doesn't work, than KID wont be having a fun heist." He stated darkly.

'Have fun at your heist!' The woman had called as she left with a wave. 'I intend to do just that.' I vowed, a smile gracing my features. "Let's give it a try Shin-chan!" I cried energetically. "I'm not giving up yet and neither are you! Right?!" I demanded.

He blinked once and then smiled as though it was gonna be a great story. "Hell no! I'm not done with this plane yet!" He growled, flipping a combination of switches. "Kaito!" He barked. "Keep your hand on the auto-pilot, and when I say so, flip it!" He instructed as one of his hands righted the plane smoothly.

"Got it!" I felt determination fill up in my heart like a flame. This wasn't over yet! I'm definitely going home tonight and waiting impatiently for Tantei-kun's return! Did I seriously miss him that much? Did I just think that?!

"Ready?" Shinichi-kun called as he flipped a few switches, snapping me out of my stupor. My hand tensed, waiting for the command. "Now!" He cried, and my fingers flipped the switch as the 'w' came to an end.

Suddenly, a few lights in the gauges blinked and returned to normal, the auto-pilot light blinked a bright green like a slow heartbeat. The controls for flying automatically began steering themselves and a robotic voice in our headsets began to tell us that our landing was an hour and a forty five minutes away. Ten minutes left until my heist time.

Shinichi and I high fived and I hugged him out of excitement. "Hell yeah!" I whooped. "I just rebooted a plane like a computer!" I didn't notice the big pink blush covering the face of the detective next to me.

He coughed a bit and then composed himself. "Ah, we should probably put these guys in their seats and then escape like nothing happened at all." He said.

"Okay. Maybe we should put all of those flight attendants in passenger seats so they don't wake up in that bathroom all together and uncomfortable." I commented.

Shinichi shrugged as he dragged one man into the pilot seat and I followed with the other man. We straightened their positions and set their hand in their laps. I placed the head set on my guy while Shinichi out the belt on his. We then proceeded to copy each other as we did what the other didn't do. At least I think that's right. We crept out of the room after slapping their faces hard and they groaned and woke up. We were gone before they knew they we even slapped.

We proceed with the same process for the attendants, and we were lucky that there weren't too many. When they were in a seat, Shin-chan would slap each one of them like he was trying to get something off of his rug; without a care in the world! It was so mechanic, I giggled for the first three but laughed out loud at the others. However, I didn't slap mine, I just made a stink bomb for them to smell. They would jolt a bit and then groan before waking up three minutes later. We also escaped that time before anyone could see us.

As we sunk back into our seats, I spoke. "You know what? We're the heroes of this plane. If it wasn't for us, this plane along with KID, the jewel, and everyone's else's lives would fall out of the sky and seize to exist." I closed my eyes. "We don't have enough time for a nap do we?" I groaned.

Shinichi shook his head miserably. "Nope. But we do have time to wake up these guys." He turned his head in the direction of the other detectives. "We are the only people even remotely aware that we just saved this plane you know that? Besides the people who caused it in the first place." He said as he rose and slapped Heiji-kun's face. He rolled his eyes at me. "Not working." A mischievous grin took over his face as he reached for his white bow tie.

I arched an eyebrow at him and an amused smile took over my face. "Who's voice?" I asked almost laughing at his antics. His smile was so mischievous, the glint in his eye so thrilled, that I was immediately drawn to know what would happen.

"The love of Hattori's life." He answered, turning the knobs a few times. "Check that bag and there should be some ear plugs in the side pocket. If you out those in Nakamori-keibu's and Hakuba's ears, than we could have more fun after this as..." He smirked even wider as I set them in the two mens' ears. "Revenge." He said in English.

"For not waking up and helping us right?" I asked grinning wildly. "Ahh. The underrated revenge makes a come back." I sighed mock wistfully.

Shinichi blinked. "Ah, Hattori said the same thing today." He finally out the tie to his mouth. "Ready?" He asked quietly in a female voice.

"Yes." I nodded, sitting down and watching every move.

He took a deep breath. "HEIJI DOH AHOU! WAKE UP YA LAZY BUM! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE TA SCHOOL AGAIN BECAUSE A YA!" He screamed in Heiji-kun's face.

He back off and sat in his seat, showing me fingers counting to five silently. I held back a laugh until the reaction came. What came made me laugh even more than I wanted to before.

"AHOU! WHAT DA HELL DO YA THINK YER DOIN' IN MY ROOM?! BESIDES WHY DO YA HAVE TA KEEP BARGIN' INTO MY ROOM FER SCHOOL EVERY MORNIN'?!" He screeched at the seat in front of him.

Immediately, Shinichi and I cracked up so bad, we fell to the aisle floor clutching our stomachs as tears rolled down our faces. A very confused Heiji-kun watched as we choked with laughter until we couldn't breathe and began to hyperventilate.

"Hahahah! Best-hahaha! Plane-hahaha! Entertainment-hahaha! Ever!" I choked out between laughs. "Ah! Run away! Heiji-kun's coming with a boiling head as a weapon!" I snickered.

"Oh no!" Shinichi cried playing along! "Please don't hurt is with your 'yell first; ask questions later' strategy!" He begged. Heiji-kun kicked him in the side and Shinichi-kun whimpered in pain.

"Ger gahhrghh uhh!" He jumbled out as he clutched his side tighter and panted.

"Kudou?" Heiji-kun asked, checking his friend for injuries around the area. He unbuttoned Shinichi-kun's blouse to reveal a fast forming bruise and a way too skinny-to-be-healthy rib cage on the side. "Kudou!" Heiji-kun cried. "What da hell is up wid ya?!" He demanded furiously.

Shinichi-kun hastily buttoned his blouse back up and fumbled with the buttons. "Rough last week." He answered. "Too much thinking."

"So ya didn't eat?!" Heiji-kun demanded.

This time, it was Hakuba's voice that answered. "Holmes once said that the mind works best on an empty stomach. Yet I don't believe you could have lost that much weight in a week." He supplied.

Heiji-kun's face showed a flash of realization and then he sputtered nervously. "Kudou's been skinny near his rib cage since forever, it just looks worse now 'cause he wasn't eatin'. Ne Kudou? Ne?" His eyebrow and the top right side of his lip twitched nervously.

"A-ah." Shinichi-kun answered smiling the same way as Heiji-kun. They shared a worried glance and I leaned in to the both of them.

"If that glance means, 'you think they bought that?' Then I'm telling you right now I didn't for a second." I said strongly. "I've seen the same thing on a little friend of mine and he hasn't been eating for a long time." I looked into both of their eyes before backing off. "It's probably important if you're not sharing it with us, so we'll let it slide this time. Right Hakuba?" I elbowed the half-Brit next to me who nodded after snapping out of his train of thought.

A dangerous glint was in the British detective's eyes. "However, be warned that if you slip up again, game over. Your well being Kudou-kun, shouldn't be affected by deductions as a prideful detective. You'd understand." He smiled, picking him up after putting out a hand. I helped up Heiji-kun and he grunted a thank you.

"Kudou, we're so goin' out fer okonomiyaki once this plane reaches Osaka durin' pit stop 'n' turns back. Then I'm goin' ta get my revenge fer dat dirty trick." He vowed.

"I wouldn't if I were you." I warned while singing.

"Why not?" He almost whined.

"Thing is, Shinichi-kun piloted the plane until the auto pilot was back on and saved the pilots and flight attendants while you lazy bums slept like babies." I said, clearing my throat. "Otou-san! Okina sai! KID is getting away!" I yelled, Nakamori-keibu shot up like he was electrocuted. Nothin' like wakin' up a jittery Nakamori-keibu for KID using Aoko's voice.

Everyone was about to separate and patrol the plane, and I was going to use that chance to slip away and become KID. Something stopped me in my tracks; A look of alarm and pain flashed across Meitantei-san's face. One so intense, I stopped what I was doing in shock. He grasped Hattori's sleeve and tugged so hard, I thought it was gonna rip off. Heiji-kun's face grew pale and horrified as he whispered something in alarm. I approached him and grabbed his shoulders.

"O-Oi, Shinichi?" I asked uncertainly, extremely worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He lied, as I gave him an eye roll. "Just a fever that hasn't gone away completely yet. I guess I just pushed my-argh!" He choked as his entire body pulsed in place. A hand tugged forcibly on the clothes over his chest.

"Shinichi!" I gasped. "Oi Oi! He just pulsed!" I yelled at Heiji-kun. "Like his entire body just pulsed in place!" I cried.

Heiji-kun locked me in place with a stone look so intense I froze completely. "He's fine. Just needs ta go ta da bathroom. Everyone knows dat if ya have a fever, it could get worse by da pressure in da air." He claimed, pushing Shin-chan out of the cabin and into a far bathroom. I didn't know at the time that it was a well fabricated lie, that wasn't researched to see if it was the truth.

"That still doesn't explain why is body pulsed." Hakuba muttered, and I nodded in agreement

"Luckily, I placed a hearing device on Heiji-kun." Now I was listening with Hakuba too, after a moment of thought at my antics. A crackling noise came up and we were a bit glad that Nakamori-keibu was still patrolling a different part of the plane.

"I wonder what those two are really up to." Hakuba mused, putting an emphasis on the 'really'. I nodded in agreement thoughtfully.

"I'm worried about Shinichi-kun. Ran-chan would kill me if I didn't take care of her 'little brother'. I mean that Hakuba. That girl is something with karate." I sighed rolling my eyes mentally at the act.

"Ah yes, I've met Mouri-san." Hakuba put his head in his hand. "She surprised me when I saw how alike she and Aoko-san looked."

"First time was like that for me too! I called her Aoko and she almost used a heel drop-" I started, but Heiji-kun's voice came through the radio/listening piece. The quality was a bit crackly, but it almost seemed like we were in the same room.

"Oi Kudou!" Heiji-kun's voice hissed while pounding on the bathroom door slightly quietly. "I'm callin' Sciency-neechan, so just wait. Okay? Whatever ya do Kudou, don't scream." He warned.

Hakuba and I shared a glance and Shinichi-kun's voice came up. "BAROO." He panted. "How the hell are you going to get connection up here?!" He demanded.

"Satellite! Hakase released an authorized satellite recently right? We should be able ta call Sciency-neechan usin' dat." He explained while dialing into his phone. "I'll tell 'er dat yer changin' back before da usual time 'cause a da fever. I'm sure I bought some extra Paikaru, so dat should work accordin' ta what she said about opposite reactions ta da App."

Hakuba and I exchanged confused glances. "App?" I asked. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's probably an abbreviation for something. My question is, who is the 'Sciency-neechan' Hattori-kun keeps bringing up?" Hakuba mused aloud, bouncing his questions off of me.

"Oh that would be the little girl who lives with the Hakase. According to what Shinichi-kun told me a while ago. I believe her name was..." I trailed off racking my brain. "Haibara Ai-chan!" I answered.

"Well? Did you get a connection?" Came Shinichi-kun's voice. He sounded anxious and the sound of his panting was getting louder and shallower.

"Yeah, it's ringin' right now. Hold on Kudou. Hold on." Heiji-kun answered. Suddenly, there was ruffling of clothes and the sound of something being ripped off of some fabric. "Kudou... Mi got a bowl a mi so soup." He said in a warning tone, seeming to break down the syllables a bit.

"Oh yeah? Slurp it down then." Shinichi-kun's sounded oddly calm as he spoke. "To make sure you don't burn your tongue, blow it alright? Wouldn't want you ranting about it later like an angry Ojii-san." He joked, laughing a bit painfully.

"Don't worry!" Heiji-kun's voice was light. After a small pause, a darker tone came from him. "I'll handle it nicely." A deep breath was taken and then,

"Fwiiiiiiiiiii!" Came a sharp whistle, completely popping Hakuba's and my ears. I slapped the listening device until it stopped and hid it in the appropriate compartment.

Heiji-kun then strolled in as though nothing had happened back there. His eyes told us he knew who placed the listening device, but he said nothing. The shadows cast due to his SAX cap's rim added even more to the effect. If Kazuha-chan were here, she'd say Heiji-kun was solving another mystery. Though in this case, it was only a huge problem since Shinichi-kun has already gotten to the other guys.

"Kudou is sweatin' up a storm. Asked me ta get 'im his extra clothes." He informed us, shrugging and smiling a bit.

"That's completely normal with a fever. He must be freezing cold if he's sweating already." Hakuba nodded. Heiji-kun looked relieved with that response and he grabbed some clothes.

However, what I saw between the pants and blouse shocked me so that I froze in my seat, wide-eyed. The items were small blue sleeve from a uniform jacket with a small red bow tie on top. Heiji-kun's face was grim with determination. It was as if he knew that something very bad was going to happen.

On another note, Heiji-kun was smuggling different clothes in between the blouse and pants! 'Not only that, but... Aren't those clothes...Tantei-kun's?! No. That is a stupid, stupid, stupid, idea. BAAAKA. Why would Heiji-kun have Tantei-kun's clothes?' My thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like a difficult-to-muffle scream.

A look of agony suddenly twisted Heiji-kun's face and he was gone before we could ask any questions. "Chou matte!" He called down the cabin. Jumping over seats, he stumbled to the door of the bathroom, glaring our way until we diverted our eyes.

"What the hell is happening?" Breathed Hakuba as we closed the cabin door. "What's wrong with Kudou-kun?"

I met his eyes warily and sighed. "Your guess is as good as mine." He nodded solemnly in agreement. "But one thing is for sure." We turned our gaze to the bathroom door once more. "There's a connection between his disappearances and Edogawa Conan-kun. Don't you think?" I asked returning to our seats. "And I saw Heiji-kun smuggling a kindergarten uniform between the clothes."

"I see. I've noticed both of those too, the first one after a few meetings with Edogawa-kun." Hakuba sat in his seat, pulling out his pocket watch. "We'll put that topic away for now. More importantly, Kaitou KID is three minutes, twenty one seconds, and forty three milliseconds late to his own heist." He smirked at me. "I wonder why..."

Clink. Brand new handcuffs. Luckily he hasn't attached himself to it yet. "Uh oh." I sighed.

With the other pair. Hattori's POV

I don' know what is goin' on with Kudou. One second he's sayin' da antidote will work fer another few days, da next thing ya know, he's changin' back ta Conan. I can't even imagine how he feels about it. Luckily, I bought him some Paikaru. Apparently, if Kudou has a fever, den da Paikaru will have da opposite effect den last time, given da circumstances. So Paikaru now will keep him as Kudou, due ta his low tolerance for alcohol and how fast da stuff gets inta his bloodstream and infiltrates his cells. Dat was da simplified version from Sciency-neechan, who saw it comin'.

I knocked on da door. "Kudou! I bought da medicine." I said jus' in case we got anymore 'mi mi so soup'. It's a stupid pun, but whateve' works ta get da thing off of us widout suspicion. Hint: Mimi=ear

Kudou opened da door and shocked me out of my skin by how he looked! He was sweatin' until he shined and completely made his current outfit useless. His face pale everywhere except for a blush dustin' 'round his nose. He was pantin' like he just ran a marathon. Twice non stop.

"Th-anks Hattori!" He gasped. He tightly grasped da neck of da plastic rectangular bottle and uncapped it. Fer a moment, he stared uncertainly at da bottle. "Let's pray this works eh?" His smile was crooked but it worked anyway.

I snickered. "Careful Kudou. Hakase told me all 'bout dat first time ya tried to drink da Paikaru ta turn back and got drunk instead." He scowled, completely embarrassed.

"Haibara told you. Not Hakase. Am I right? Even though she wasn't even there.." He took a deep breath and shrugged. "Here goes nothin'!" And swigged da entire drink down in a few gulps. Kudou swung a bit 'round like Nemuri no Kogoro, 'n' landed on his butt on da closed toilet seat.

"Kudou?" I asked warily.

His response took a moment, 'n' began with a hiccup. "Yo Hat-to-ri!" He smiled. "Neeee..." He dragged out hiccuping again. "Ya should'a tried the stuff! One second I was like..." Kudou gurgled and groaned while swinging his body. "Den the next second I'm like...zing!" He shot up in his seat as tho' he was electrocuted.

I sweat dropped with a nervous laugh. "Ha.. Really?" I remembered what Kudou had taught me 'bout what ta do when Kogorou was drunk 'n' ya wanted info.

Kudou continued ta rant 'n' I dragged him out of da bathroom, thinkin' dat he would be fine if he's drunk instead of shrunk. "Chou matte!" He called in my accent. "Hattori, I feel funny. My heart's racin'!" Tears gathered in his eyes as I sat him down in a flight seat. "I don't wanna turn back inta Conan!" He wailed miserably.

"Oi! Kudou!" I hissed slapping his face a bit. "Do ya want Hakuba 'n' Kuroba ta come lookin' fer ya?!" I demanded.

Kudou brightened up. "KID and Hakuba? No!" The drunken teenager whined. "I don' wanna hear 'Edogawa-kun's been missing for seven and a half days, six point five hours, seventeen minutes, twenty nine seconds, and two milliseconds'!" He mimicked. I couldn't resist a snicker at that. "Lemme let ya in a little secret Hakuba." He rolled his eyes and I covered his mouth. "Edogawa-kun is right here! Baaaaka! And you call yourself a detective! Can't even figure that out!"

"Geez Kudou. I thought ya said Dr. C. Naill said it was bad ta pent up her feelings!" I smirked. "Now. If ya don't want ta turn inta Conan, stay quiet 'n' play hide 'n' seek with KID, Kuroba, Hakuba, 'n' all da staff 'n' police, Okay?" I instructed.

Kudou's eyes widened like an enchanted child's. "how can I hide from KID and Kaito-kun when they're the same people?" He asked innocently. Yep. He really does have a child like charm.

"Is dat what ya think?" I asked a bit surprised. He nodded slowly. "Ok. So hide from both of them when they show up near you. Okay?" He nodded again and then hiccuped.

"Where do I hide?" He whispered anxiously. His fists were balled and at his chest due to his eagerness. I sweat dropped.

'So dis is what Kudou was like when he was a brat...' I thought. "Anywhere as long as dose people don' find ya." I nodded. He saluted grinning and I looked at him funny. "Kudou, yer supposed ta salute with yer right hand, not da left."

He swept past me 'n' before leavin' called, "When you're on the opposite of the law, you salute with the opposite hand." He tapped his chin in thought. "At least, that's what KID-niichan said!" He hiccuped and stumbled away.

'Oi Oi. Will did really be alrigh'?' I thought as I straightened up 'n' stared toward da place where Kudou left. 'Well Kudou is Kudou, no matter how he looks. If its him, he'll definitely be alrigh'.' I took a deep breath and stalked back ta da cabin where everyone else was. Maybe Kudou will get over his drunken state 'n' come ta play cat-'n'-mouse with ev'ryone.

Checking in with the Mouri household for a moment!

"What is the meaning of this?!" An woman around the age of mid-forties demanded loudly. "I thought you were the Nemuri no Kogoro! So why do you continue to accuse different people with every piece of evidence you find?! Please just be serious Mouri-Tantei!"

"Deskara..." The accused replied, holding his hands up in a surrendering motion. "All of this evidence clearly points to this woman," Occ-chan stamped a finger on a picture of a young woman. "As being the one who's having an affair with your husband Oku-sama. There is no way any of these other women who I spotted him with could be the one." He reassured. "After all, I followed him for an entire three weekends. Since you informed me he wasn't returning him early during that time. Every Friday and Saturday night the man was at this woman's house..." He stated calmly. "I even took pictures Oku-sama..."

The woman began to tear up, clasping the picture in her hands tightly. "Mitsuru-san..." She whimpered. "How could you? We've been friends since kindergarten..." She sighed.

Ran approached her. "Oba-san, an affair just means that someone in a double relationship has difficulty trying to chose between the perfect one and their soul mate. I don't think he can sleep peacefully at night with someone as kind as you being betrayed. Perhaps, if given a bit more time, he'll confess and make a choice. At that time, it would be best to forgive him correct?" She soothed.

The teary eyed woman looked up at her. "That's the best advice I've ever heard from a teenager... Do you deal with a lot of these affair cases Mouri-Tantei?" She asked wiping her tears away in a pink handkerchief.

Occ-chan nodded. "Eh. Ran never fails to comfort the one that comes for help. She fears hatred might be born and a crime committed through this... So she comforts them as much as possible to prevent any feelings of hatred afterwards." Occ-chan smiled gently. "Bit maybe she's right. After following your husband, I can see he's not a bad man or the type to do this. Maybe the answer really is to give him a bit more time Oku-sama."

The woman sniffed and nodded slowly. "Yes, I think that's the best thing to do for now. Just some time and we can figure it out." She mumbled to herself. All of a sudden, the raven haired woman snapped out of her reverie and smiled brightly. "Thank you Mouri-Tantei! I will send my payment in one week." She stood and bowed. "I am truest indebted to you and your kind daughter." A gentle and grateful smile graced the woman aging features.

"No worries Oku-sama. The pleasure is all mine, being in my line of work!" The famous obnoxious laugh of Nemuri no Kogoro sounded as the woman departed, her soul and heart at ease. It still sounded until suddenly stopped, making Ran look at her father.

"I know." She sighed, looking around the house at a low angle. "I keep waiting to hear Conan-kun suggest what we should have for dinner." She admitted, taking a seat on the sofa with a sigh.

"I kept looking around the couch waiting for a comment about the case that suddenly seems suspiciously like a hint." The older man admitted. "Why did that brat have to leave all of a sudden like that? We could've been told earlier." He fumed, even though he knew it was useless.

"If Kazuha-chan wasn't cooking upstairs right now, she'd probably say something like, 'Conan-kun is jus' like Ojii-san's omamori! As long as Conan-kun is 'round, da case is as good as solved!' Wouldn't she Otou-san?" The father couldn't help but feel obliged to answer truthfully with a nod.

"I'm starting to believe her these weeks." He stood up. "No use mulling over a brat's disappearance! Let's do as much as we can to pass the week by and he'll be screwing up crime scenes again before we know it!" He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck while Ran let out a small laugh.

"Otou-san, we both know he preserves the crime scenes for you all the time perfectly!" She said, cracking her knuckles. "Now that's all the time the miso soup needs for boiling. I'll be back soon with dinner Otou-san. Are you sure you don't want to eat upstairs?" She asked.

"Nah." Occ-chan shrugged. "Okino Yoko has another live concert on TV tonight!" He squealed. "Yo-ko! Yo-ko!" He began to cheer.

Ran only rolled her eyes and left. "Whatever you say or do to save your pride Otou-san. We both know you miss Conan-kun as much as I do." She muttered as she climbed the stairs. The girl decided to run up them since it was so cold, and swung the door open before quickly shutting it behind her again.

"Ran-chan?" Came Kazuha-chan's voice. "Is dat ya? I need some help over here!" She called.

"Hai hai, coming!" The other replied, putting her feet into cozy slippers. She walked into the kitchen tying an apron around her waist and neck. "What do you need me to do?"

"Can ya cut those up?" Kazuha asked pointing to a bowl of vegetables. "We can throw 'em inta da soup." Kazuha did a taste test. "Just waitin' on those 'n' a little more boilin' ta finish up."

"Ok." Ran replied happily. Picking up the appropriate piece of cutlery, she began to slice them one by one.

"Ran-chan, did yer dad solve another case downstairs? Da one with da affair?" Kazuha-chan asked. She was searching the cabinet for a specific spice and stood on her tip toes to reach it.

"Which one?" Ran rolled her eyes. "Dad never leaves the house. I think he believes that if he does, he'll run into another murder and not be able to solve it. Hontou, it was easier when Conan-kun was here." She sighed wistfully, beginning to cut her fourth vegetable.

"Ne Ran-chan?" Kazuha-chan asked uncertainly. "Do ya really think dat kid isn't lyin' 'bout his age? Remember I said it durin' dat case when we were stranded on an island? Ya know he acts like what he's sayin' isn't a hint durin' cases when d'ey really are." Kazuha-chan said.

Ran stopped cutting and looked outside the window thinking. For a moment, her friend believed that she had offended Ran by speaking that way. So Kazuha was relieved when she spoke again, and not annoyed at all about it.

"I honestly don't know Kazuha-chan." She looked at her friend for a moment. "Conan-kun can act like such an angel, and then turn around to Hattori-kun and act like an adult. If he is lying, it's probably to for a good reason since he hasn't told us to two years." She continued to cut up the vegetables waiting.

Kazuha-chain was quiet for a moment, but she spoke softly. "Don't ya think he's taa scared ta try 'n' tell ya? What if he wants ta tell ya, but can't?" She asked.

"I don't know what he should do then Kazuha-chan." The last of the vegetables was sliced down. "If he can't tell me yet, then he won't. Simple as that. I'll just have to wait." She smiled brightly and threw the veggies into the stewing pot. She wafted the aroma of the stew to her nostrils. "Otou-san will love this!" She squealed.

Kazuha-chan just smiled. "Now let's watch some TV 'n' eat snacks with Sonoko-chan! Ya said she was comin' over afte' dinner right?" Kazuha-chan sounded genuinely excited. "We're gettin' snacks!"

Mean while at the Hakase's

"Genta-kun! Mou!" Cried Ayumi-chan. "Stop kicking that soccer ball inside! Don't you remember what happened the last time you did that?!"

"If Yoshida-san seriously gets curry on her again, you won't have any of it." Haibara-san snapped. She began to stir the curry stew with and irritated look on her face as she fumed.

"Maa maa." The Hakase laughed nervously. "Come on Genta-kun, there's only a few minutes left until lithe curry is ready. Can you handle a few minutes of video games with Mitsuhiko-kun until then?" He asked leading him over to the young and freckled boy sitting on a rug, game controller in hand.

"Yoshida-san, can you pass those spices?" Haibara-san asked casually. Her other hand continued to stir the stewing curry spice carefully.

"Hai." Ayumi-chan smiled, handing her the requested spices. "Ai-chan, doesn't the steam from the stew make your hand hot?" She asked.

"Actually, a little." Haibara-san admitted. "However, as long as I only stir once in a while and not too long, it becomes fine." Just as she said this, she removed her hand and allowed the curry to boil.

"I wish Shinichi was here." Hakase sighed, once Ayumi-chan had decided to relieve her bladder.

"Kudou-kun is enjoying himself in his regular body for the first time in five months. He broke up with that girl at the detective agency, and is probably flirting right now with..." She hummed a tune happily.

"eh? Who would he be flirting with?!" Hakase demanded blinking out of confusion. After all, the Hakase doesn't know anything yet.

"Probably with Kaitou KID..." Haibara Ai smirked so pleasantly, that the Hakase couldn't help smiling himself.

"I always thought that they had a very special relationship..." He smiled. "You're luckily I held back a shout of surprise. I would've shouted if the kids weren't here." Hakase jabbed a thumb lightly at the children on the recently-taken-back Persian Rug.

Ayumi-chan came back. "It looks like it's time to put it in the rice and cool!" She said sipping the curry. "Let's turn it off." She said, switching the flame to 'off'.

"Minna-san! Gohan dekta yone!" Haibara-san called in her typical monotone. She set down the hot curry with Ayumi-chan's help onto the table.

Hakase sweatdropped. "Yone?" He laughed nervously. 'That's what women in Tokyo add to the end of their sentences, not little kids. I hope the children didn't notice...'

"Okay Minna! Itadakimasu!" Ayumi-chan called. Everyone repeated and their nice dinner began.

"Ano Baka, Conan. He better bring us some souvenirs from Europe to make himself miss this dinner every time with some excuse." Genta-kun mumbled.

Hakase laughed nervously. "Maa isn't it okay? He has to spend time with his parents too, right?" He asked.

"Edogawa-kun's parents are overseas unlike yours minna-san. Though I wouldn't say he misses them too much." Haibara chuckled.

"Maa maa. Let's eat and go to bed, that way the next day will come soon. So what does that mean?" Hakase asked everyone.

"That Conan-kun will be home a day sooner than the number we're thinking of today?" Ayumi-chan finished.

"Correct!" Hakase grinned. "Okay kodomo-tachi?" He asked.

"Hai!" Came a chorus of the children's voices.

"Atchi!" Haibara closed an eye and licked her lips at the super hot curry. "Fffffffffuuuu." She blew. When nothing came at her besides silence, she saw that everyone was looking at Conan's seat. 'Of course they would. He usually says something after someone is careless like that...'

Nobody commented and the dinner picked up again as though nothing had happened. The Shounen-Tantei-Dan missed their intellect department known as Conan Edogawa.

On the plane with the Police {everyone deserves a chance, do they not?}

A pink spoof of smoke filled the quiet and waiting room. Everyone was on their guard and very alert. "Gas masks!" Commanded Nakamori-keibu.

Instantly, the rows and rows of police officers shifted gas masks onto their faces. The room was silent until a single round of applause sounded throughout the room. The police's attention were fixed on the pedestal in the middle of the room when the smoke cleared.

The pink gas revealed the famous Magician of the Moonlit Night standing on the case typically as though it was a marble floor. The thief's clapping died and he spoke to the waiting police who hasn't made a single move.

The thief bowed low and swept his cape across his chest. "I apologize for appealing to this heist so late, Nakamori-keibu." His voice echoed. "I had a little run in with some..." He paused as though searching for the correct word. "Uninvited guests..." He finished. The police said nothing, storing the information away for later. "But I am here now, and I'll be taking the Flame of Destiny home with me!" He grinned happily, lowering himself slowly until he sat on the case.

"I don't know if you noticed, KID." Nakamori-keibu began. Suddenly, he froze and sighed before continuing. "That even if you manage to steal the jewel, this place is a flying prison! You won't be able to escape without any of us checking you." He snarled. For a moment, triumph washed over the man's face.

"Oh really? Where's your handsome friend?" His voiced bounced madly off the walls and echoed in Nakamori-keibu's ears. "Unless you can figure out who I'm talking about, you won't catch me!" He threw back his head and laughed gleefully, hiding the fact that his heels were working to pick the lock with hidden tools.

Nakamori-keibu was silent for a moment. Most likely wondering if KID has noticed the absence of his detectives. There was another reason though. He was paying attention to his instructions. The ones coming through the hidden ear pieces in every officer's left ear.

"Give him five seconds Keibu. Then you can order your task force to dog pile him. He will look down and be distracted at that time." Kudou Shinichi's voice echoed through everyone's ears, even if they were only directed to the Keibu.

"Go, yon, san, nii, ich!" Counted down a specific Osakan's voice. At the precise moment, KID looked down at his shoes, and a smirk of glory covered the Keibu's face.

"Oue!" He cried pointing at KID. Immediately, several officers tackled KID while the others moved to strategic formations of covering the exits. Either a fierce, 'don't even think a out it look' covered the pros, or a 'mwhahahaha!' Look covered the rookies faces. Triumph is wonderful isn't it my dear police officers?

"Ohhhhh." KID said holding the jewel up to the light. He was able to escape the police and left them struggling to get them selves up. "'The Flame of Destiny gives me fame.' Wouldn't that be what the owner thinks?" He winked. "Datte." He started. "This is a convincing fake." He said tossing the jewel to the keibu.

Suddenly, the dog pile dissipated like a wave, and everyone reestablished themselves into original position. "Dou da? KID?" The keibu grinned. "Back to square one."

"So it would seem." KID nodded. His face remained firmly in an expressionless mask. 'Now when did my task force get so smart?' He asked himself. A bit of panic rose up in the back of the thief's mind, but the adrenalin from excitement over threw it quickly as he noticed the ear piece cleverly hidden. He did a sweep around the room with his eyes. "This is boorrr~ing! Where's the chase? Why aren't my Tantei-tachi failing to catch me?" He pouted, crossing his arms on his chest.

In one of the plane surveillance rooms, Shinichi's heart skipped a beat. 'Chasing him...' He realized the second meaning. "Nobody move." He informed the police. "KID is trying to tick you off and make you slip up. Everyone put your gas masks on, and the white pin pads I handed out. Those are anti-sedatives. Should KID be able to get you dizzy some how, you'll spring back up on your feet as though nothing happened." He informed. Shinichi watched the camera pointing at Nakmori-keibu carefully, waiting for the signal for him to continue. The keibu swept the room with his eyes and flicked his hand as though checking his watch.

"But ya gotta use da sudden burst of energy ya get from it ta attack right back. Got it?" Hattori's voice came through the ear pieces. Everyone was in a different location, disguises down to the toe nails.

"Once you make him surprised and dazed at the fact you are still up, the attack will work because he is off guard. So make sure you stick the pieces of foil on him somewhere, okay?" Hakuba said for the first time on the ear pieces. "Each piece has a tracking device and it will take to long for him to remove all of them. By the time he does, we would have him surrounded and back at square one." He finished airily. It sounded as though he was waving a hand at the topic.

"There's a flaw in that though." I muttered quietly, using air as most of the words. "It all depends on if you can seriously touch the thief. After the first or second time, that trick might not work again."

Suddenly KID bowed to the cameras. "Yo Tantei-tachi!" He held up to fingers at the screen and grinned. Immediately, I snapped a picture of that video frame and set it into my private flash drive. "Why are you hiding from me?" His bottoms lip wobbled a bit, and Shinichi chewed his own at the sight. "I went through all of the trouble to buy everyone tickets... This heist was an entire year into my allowance you know..." He wiped away fake tears.

"He's tryin' ta agitate us since its not workin' on the police..." Hattori deduced. You could hear him tapping a finger on his chin. "Why would he do dat if it'll probably be harder for 'I'm ta get ta us?" He wondered aloud.

Shinichi switched out of the police's and Hakuba's frequencies, allowing his voice to be broadcasted only to Heiji-kun. Little did he know, KID had stolen one of the police's ear pieces and played with the frequencies himself. He luckily landed himself on Shinichi's frequency. Now he could hear who Shin-chan was talking to and what about.

"It's probably because he knows me." Shinichi's voice came out. "He believe's that Conan and I must be really alike, and Conan would fall for that trap because he wants the challenge, but not today. There's too much at stake this time. Hattori, I don't know of I said anything while I was drunk, but 'they' are on this plane. Kaito-kun met a woman from 'them' as a flight attendant." He spoke. Immediately, KID spewed confetti, smoke, sticky glue, feathers, and other thing he could find at the police. The reason was to hide his shocked face and escape the small display room.

"Oi Oi!" The Osakan detective cried. "Here?! Why does it always have ta be planes Kudou?! Why do ya got so much bad luck on planes?" He whined. After a moment he asked, "sou rede?" (Idk if that's spelled right, sorry) "do ya know who it was?"

I heard paper and cloth crinkle as though being clenched tightly. "Ah." He stated darkly. "The same one that always appears in front of me. Though we can't be sure she is even a she. There are many lanky men who can disguise as women. For all we know." He stated clearly. "Anyway, they, as in the people chasing me, are on this plane. The have hijacked it until Kaito-kun and I flew it into safety by overriding the circuits. Then I received a letter from the one we assume is a woman, taunting my death." He finished. "Nothing to worry about Hattori. They probably have left, though if I let those people pilot it, the plane might really burst into the Flame of Destiny."

"Ah." The tan skinned detective agreed. "The flame that claims our lives by the disguise as destiny." Suddenly, he brightened up. "We've cheated death a few times, eh Kudou?" He laughed. "What's one more time?"

"Souda ne." the Eastern representative sighed. "Nine lives right?" He asked, switching the frequency back. The keibu was panting hard into his mike. "Make a left keibu." I informed him. "Take a right after that and you'll be able to see him."

"Thanks Kudou-kun!" He panted. Shinichi checked the man's vitals just in case. After all, the man was getting old and he can't case for twenty years in perfect condition.

"Five minutes until cardiac arrest." The monotone voice of Haibara answered. The machine was programmed like that, because it was kinda funny. Shinichi heard health updates like that most of the time too.

"Woah Keibu!" Shinichi called into his mike. "Don't push yourself so hard!" He commanded. "Your vitals show five minutes until cardiac arrest!" A hint of panic rose in the high-schooler's voice. Who wanted their nice task force leader hospitalized because of this? It would make everyone else feel like the Keibu tried the hardest while everyone else slacked off.

"'Keibu, Monosaki-keiji, Domere-keiji, Daisui-keiji, and Kajimine-keiji, should take a break. Three, five, two, four, and one minutes left until cardiac arrest for all five people." Haibara's machine voice alerted again.

The vitals for the other four popped onto screen. Shinichi scanned the live feed, and took a deep breath. "What the hell do you think you're doing Kajimine-keiji?!" He shouted into his mike. "If you don't stop running in thirty seconds, you'll drop into cardiac arrest Ahou!"

The heat beat for Kajimine-san went haywire. This man was having a heart attack on the job. Shinichi-clutched a bottle of medicine in his hand and ran for cabin three twenty four. A water bottle was snatched off of his desk before starting to run. Shinichi sprinted through the aisles until he came to the cabin he was searching for. His face was flushed and he began to get dizzy.

He shakily fell onto his knees next to the collapsed Kajimine-san, and fed the man the pills and water before collapsing himself. "Hakuba call the medics over to Kajimine-san..." He panted. "Gerrrr argh!" Shinichi gasped in agony, feeling his heart skip beats. "Hattori. Anymore Paikaru?" He asked shakily. "I'm not gonna make it!" He growled out. "Argh!"

His body pulsed in place, and the detective clutched the clothes over his heart tightly. He crashed against a wall and ignored the questions from Hakuba, the Keibu, and other worrying police officers.

"Monosaki, Damere, Daisui." Shinichi panted. "Stop running before you slip into cardiac arrest." He warned breathlessly. "No one wants to see their senior officers in a hospital..." He choked.

The detective snapped a picture of Kajimine-keiji in front of him and let the super packed phone (curtesy of Hakase) show him the man's vitals. Brain damage? Zero. Blood pressure? Slightly irregular due to attack but returning to normal. Breaths per minute? Slight pant in sleep. Heart rate? Returning to normal due to medicine. 'Great!' Shinichi thought, leaving the mini-room after sticking a memo page on the door.

His phone beeped suddenly and he took a look. "KID approaching at high speed." It alerted him. Thank you Hakase for teaching him how to sync it to the computer program. "Approximately thirty seconds until clash."

Shinichi scoffed, immediately wincing at the action. "Hide." He commanded himself. "Heiji-niichan said to play hide 'n' seek!" Came Shinichi-s voice in a whisper as his eyes searched for a place that would work until the thief passed by. "He can't see me like this." Shinichi muttered to himself. "Everything will be blown, and everyone will get hurt." He reminded himself in a scolding tone.

Shinichi's eyes found the perfect place, but he winced at the thought. After all, this hiding place required slight contorting of the body... Shinichi was NOT flexible unless it was life or death. He willed his mind to believe that it was a life or death situation and felt the adrenaline pump through his veins. 'Mini storage closet, here I come!' He thought.

He cramped his body into the lowest and largest cubby that was, fortunately, empty and ready for occupation. Shinichi could've sworn he heard several popping noises from his spinal cord and collar bones, but he squeezed inside as though in the 'saw the assistant in half' magic act. Just as the panting that had come from stuffing himself so far inside calmed, he felt panicked.

This situation reminded him too much of another one. A moment that depended on life or death without his mind willing it. It was during the earlier times as Conan. When he had finally gotten a glimpse at the pin inside the hay; Gin's location. He had desperate grabbed at the chance as though it was a life line, yet he failed. Well not entirely. The small cubby made in hard to breath, and Shinichi could feel the walls constricting his chest. He couldn't breathe too well, so he might suffer the same way as last time.

Shinichi would suffer from the same consequence if he fell asleep; oxygen deprivation. Plus he'd have to wait to see who knows how long to make sure the thief had disappeared. Though his phone would help. Shinichi's breath caught in his throat and the adrenaline re-entered his system like a flood. Foot steps. Running foot steps.

All Shinichi could do was pray to whatever God there was, that the thief would move past this hallway without needing to stop. But noooooo. Kami-sama apparently didn't want Shinichi's wish to be granted. The goddess of luck would be powerless this time, his fate, was up to fate.

Those footsteps began to slow, sound in so familiar. Shinichi realized he had subconsciously memorized the footsteps of walk of the confident, and ever elusive thief. The sound was the same one that he'd heard during the Miraculous Air-Walk incident, confident, slow, and with a certain rhythm that Shinichi could feel the cockiness radiating off of the man. The footsteps were slightly muffled due to the hard school-like carpets, and the echo he'd heard last time was gone; faded and muffled too.

Shinichi's heartbeat was running so wildly, his heat skipped several beats in one minute irregularly. The air supply didn't help too much with that either. There was a crick forming painfully slow at his mid-back, as though determined to puncture his spinal cord. His neck began to receive the same feeling right where the neck bent, when looking down. The footsteps froze as though their owner could hear the ragged and short gasps of air Shinichi was panting.

'Stop.' He scolded himself harshly. 'Stop breathing like that. Shallow, small. Think shallow and small, Kudou." He commanded of himself. Luckily, his breathing slowed, preserving the little air left in the tiny and cramped space.

Shinichi relaxed his body and willed it to follow the shape of the rectangular room, sighing deeply when the struggling process was over. He moved without making noises, as least he hoped so, and kept his breath even. After all, it was Haibara's breathing that had given her away to Gin when she was in that chimney. He didn't want that to happen to him. Not at such a crucial time.

And then. Murphy's Law decided to have a crack at him. How could he tell? Because his phone-curse him for not remembering to lower the volume- had decided to beep an 'SOS' signal in morse code and alert him about his own vitals.

" 'Meitantei-san' vitals dropping dangerously. Heartbeat irregular. Suffocation impending. Mind waves dimming, unconsciousness in three minutes." The monotone of Haibara stated airily, as though it was nothing to worry about.

"Eh?" Asked KID from outside. Shit. Why was there such things as intelligent devices with voice commands that register the voices?! He demanded silently. "Kinou seika?" Shinichi could imagine the thief scratching his cheek in thought, resulting in a faster breath. The thief looked pretty cute when puzzled.

"Voice command recognition initiating." The phone warned. "Scanning start." On the wallpaper screen of his favorite red touchscreen phone, the screen went black. Some horizontal green and blue lines flowed vertically as though he was watching a river's current.

Shinichi bit the nail of his right thumb in thought. 'No time. There was no time to explain anything if the thief catches me like this. Not when I could transform back right in front of him. I could lose the fragile thread of a relationship that I already have with him.' He did a double take on that last thought. 'Eh? Relationship? The one I have with him is...' He pondered that for a moment.

What were they? What were the thief and Shinichi as Conan? Rivals seemed so long ago. So what are they? Could they be friends? It didn't seem that way much... They were still enemies, but they knew when to put that aside... Shinichi blanched at the way things were turning out in his mind. His face scowled at the idea out of horror.

"Awww." He whined quietly. "Don't tell me it's come to a girly stage..." Shinichi pouted, clearly upset with the situation. Frenemies. He could not believe they were like frenemies... Of all things! Shinichi enjoyed the term 'rivals' more!

He lowered his head in defeat. 'No choice but to get out of this stage...one way or the other.' Shinichi checked his phone again, putting the matter aside for later. 'KID is moving away, and no one else is coming. Perhaps, after my escape, I could relay the location of the thief to the police.' He tapped his microphone and found it working fine. The earpiece on the other hand, was crackling noisily. 'Interference.' He registered. 'Either there's a satellite above us, or something is jamming the communication.'

Shinichi glanced the results in his phone. The voice recognition was complete. Could he bring himself to confirm his suspicions about the thief's identity? Was it fair? What if KID tells Conan himself later? Wait. Why would he do that? If they became friends would he do that? He closed the results. No. It was better to decide later. It wasn't the problem at hand. Useless ideas needed to be tossed aside until problems were fixed. That was his it worked in Shinichi's mind.

He scrolled through the people on his network and located Hattori's line. Shinichi pressed to call as he escaped the cramped place and into fresh air. He panted as his phone connected the line to the computer and Hattori's voice popped up.

"KUDOU! WHERE DA HELL WERE YA?!" He demanded, successfully popping Shinichi's eardrum and allowing a ringing noise to full it.

"Sorry. One of the officers almost went into cardiac arrest, and the idiot wouldn't stop running. I caught up to him and gave him medicine during a heart attack." He explained, airily rushing through the conversation.

"What hall are ya in right now?" The Osakan detective asked, calming down. "Did ya run inta KID?"

Shinichi grunted with annoyance and clicked his tongue. "That's the thing. The idiot decided to walk by as I was leaving, making me hide in a storage closet." He let that hang for a moment before turning away to head back to his mini HQ. "Anyway, I was asking how everything is going on your's and Hakuba's end."

"Fine as usual. I'm lookin' at KID's location, 'n' the police aren't ta far." Shinichi turned a corner, arriving close by to his mini HQ. "Since there's no transmitters on us, we can't see each other." Hattori thought aloud. "But it wasn't as though anyone was expectin' ta leave all alone."

Shinichi reached the door to his mini HQ, and put his hand to the door knob. He pulled back slightly, refraining from touching it. He sensed something was really wrong again. "Ne Hattori. It's been bothering me for a while..."

"Da fact dat we couldn't see if da transmitters got on KID, or da fact dat Belmont was on die plane and hijacked it?" Hattori supplied easily. The Osakan decree five had been mulling over those facts on his own.

"The first one. Since we can assume Belmont was the only one here safely." Shinichi lied simply. No point in telling the Osakan right now what Kaito had said about 'getting a scent on him'. "Couldn't KID just have become a police officer and let his assistant or something take the transmitters? He's probably the one strolling around, pulling the transmitters off one by one and dropping them."

"Yeah. 'Bout dat..." Hattori started. "Have ya looked at yer data 'bout da transmitters?" He asked uneasily. Hattori seemed a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

"Nooooo..." Shinichi answered wearily. The Eastern Detective put his hand on the door knob again and turned it, heading inside. "What's wrong with them? And I could see much of a map of the plane as of yet. I'm checking my computers in a moment."

"Hurry up 'n' check it out. It looks weird." A tone of worry and darkness layered the Western Detective's voice. "I'm not likin' what it's doin'. Or what KID thinks he's plannin'."

Shinichi shook the mouse and awoke the slumbering computer screens. "Yeah I'm logging in right now. Don't get ants in your pants man." Quickly, the password was typed in and the screens unlocked.

Data files on all screens began to pop up. Vitals of the police officers were on his left, locations in front, and planning consistency to his right. So far, his plan seemed to be working. Trap the thief until every police officer can tackle him and place the invisible trackers on him. Check. Pursue when he escapes. Check. Make sure everyone stays alive. Check, though difficult. Watch everything from computers until we step in with traps of our own? Almost there.

Shinichi toggled the screen in front of him until he found the place where the transmitters were being dropped. Shinichi watched as more and more began to line up slowly. Forming shapes elegantly. Shinichi groaned and sank back into his chair.

"Why did we see this coming?" He asked his counterpart who was still in the line. A back up plan began to formulate in the back of his mind.

"Back fired completely. I hate how sneaky he is. I bet da assistant is da one." Hattori replied gloomily, logging Hakuba into the line too. "Ya seein' what's happenin' Hakuba?" He asked.

"Of course." The half-Brit replied, his tone bitter. "Who would've thought he had already disguised by the time the police had attempted to dog pile him?" It wasn't really a question, since it was heavy with sarcasm and bitterness. "It was such a good plan too." Hakuba pouted.

"I can't believe he's stooped so low as to mock us like this." Shinichi muttered under his breath. Though it did not go in unheard by his peers.

"Nothin' says 'failed' like yer opener spellin' out 'FAKE' with transmitters." Hattori mulled.

There, on the screen, were perfectly aligned white glowing transmitters, spelling out the word 'FAKE' in capital letters so easily. Shinichi sighed with defeat.

"It doesn't look like the plan's a total waste." Shinichi suggested cheerfully. "We almost had him. If we try this in a place with a lot more room, then the movements of the police officers wouldn't be that obvious. Maybe next time."

"What do you propose we do? Surrender for tonight?" Hakuba asked.

Shinichi's eyebrow twitched. "WHAT ARE YA TALKIN' 'BOUT?! I AIN'T GIVIN' IN NOW!" A certain hot blooded detective screamed into the phone. Now both of Shinichi's eardrums were popped.

"Hakuba-san, that is a very unpleasant idea." Shinichi said slyly, politeness masking annoyance. "What I mean is, we should go about this the old fashioned way. Let him escape and pretend we tried in the eyes of the police. Then next time, try again with this plan and have him forced into our plan." He concluded.

The half-Brit sighed. "I've never been that well with chasing things..." He said dejectedly. "But since it had come down to this..."

"Totally agreed with! Let's kick some KID ass!" The Osakan of he bunch cried happily.

"Ouuhhh!" Shinichi spirit yelled half heartedly out of pure habit with the Shounen Tantei-Dan. Then he smirked. "Operation 'kick some KID ass' start!" He mimicked.

Maybe chasing him the old fashioned way was the way it was supposed to be. Maybe this is what bought in the name, 'Magician of the Moonlit Night'.

Chapter end! Sorry it's taken me so long to write this! I was actually going to post last week, but it was right after break and before school, so I couldn't bring myself to do it. I realize I sucked at making it seem like they were on a plane. That was a little too difficult. How about the thing with Vermouth? I thought I did pretty well, since I went back and changed it once so drastically. Sorry if it seemed a bit exaggerated about the cardiac arrest, but I couldn't think of another way to get Shinichi out of the mini HQ in a hurry. I figured there had to be an emergency for him to leave. What did everyone think about that dream about Icarus? That was fun to write, though I think I made his dreams waaaay too long. Did anyone get the 'Dr. C. Niall' joke? I read that in Artemis Foul once. If you didn't get it, try slurring the words a little when you say them. It's kinda funny. I think Haibara was also waaaay too OOC in this chapter, but it fit with the general idea so I let it go.

Anyway, I just gave everyone a lot of ideas for reviews! You're welcome, so review please! I love them! They are like chocolate chip cookies to Kaito for me!

Review replies!

unfortunately, I accidentally erased the data for those. Sorry guys, but I thank you for your review. Please except my humble apologies. *KID rose*.


	7. Chap7: Witness

Chappie Seven

Hey guys! I loved reading everyone's reviews! That was so much fun! I think the last chapter went pretty well and you just prove that you can't do anything to catch the thief unless you do it the old fashion way! So in this chapter, we finish the heist, and have Shinichi return to Conan! It's gonna be great chapter, so enjoy it!

News: I'm writing another story for when Happy Chocolate is over, and lemme just tell you; I made it seem so MYSTERIOUS! Kyyaaa I'm so proud of myself! I hope you guys will like it because it seems like it will be much better than this story. But I cherish both, so I hope you like them equally too!

Also, I am looking for a beta editor. If there is anyone interested, please pm me, since even I can see I need it! :P

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan! Sorry.

With our elusive thief!

Roof top. Normal POV

The pure white thief had his hands stuffed into his pockets, and his cape billowing around him with the gentle wind. His lips danced with an impatient frown, but it was more like he was anticipating the next move.

A sudden door slam made him turn around, his poker face intact. Panting filled the once quiet roof as the intruder tried to choke out a few words. The thief tilted his head to the side as though waiting patiently for the detective to finish.

"Come again? I didn't quite hear you Meitantei-san." The thief giggled behind a gloved hand.

The detective panted again as he shot a dirty look to the thief, struggling to keep his computer and collapsing. After all, he still did have a slight fever, and all that running really didn't seem to help it at all. "I said I found you KID." He let out in a wheeze.

The thief let a bit of concern for the detective show on his face. "Are you okay there Meitantei-san? You seem out of shape." He deduced.

The detective merely straightened up and laughed airily. "You shouldn't try detective work KID. There's no way to tell I'm out of shape with these clothes." He said, referring to his usual school uniform.

The thief crossed his arms in protest. "Too late for that!" He snapped slightly. "I'll have you know I'm handling a case myself." The thief smiled smugly as though in triumph, but the smile faltered as he realized that he'd just given away important information.

"Oh? A case? What kind?" The detective questioned to pass a bit of time before the show down. By now, he had stopped panting, but his breathing still came out heavy. That fever is totally not helping him right now, but he didn't let it show. His face was pink, but the thief decided it was from running. He was sweating, but the thief gave the same reason. Yet the thief couldn't find an answer for why the detective seemed to be shivering. It wasn't too cold outside.

"Just trying to uncover someone's identity." The thief shrugged. "It seems to be taking up a lot of my mind space." KID tapped his temple twice to express his thoughts.

A look of slight confusion passed the detective's face, then panic, and then a blush that reddened his face even farther. "Anyway, can I ask how you knew to put your partner in the line of fire first?" The detective inquired.

The thief grinned happily. "Upset that I thwarted your plan?" He smirked. "No. It was just pure coincidence that I put my assistant first. It was to help with my magic act. I also tapped in on a few interesting conversations by two of my detectives." The thief pointed to an ear piece while the detect e glared icy daggers at the him. The thief's expression faltered into a frown. "What is it?" He asked, dropping his poker face for a moment.

"How much did you hear?" Shinichi's voice was layered with venom and a threatening aura. Though KID was able to detect a hint of worry in the undertone. "I'm asking you how much you heard KID."

The thief bought himself to tell the truth. "I heard something about 'they' and 'that woman'. But nothing else really. Like I said, it was an interesting conversation, but I know better than to meddle in other people's affairs, unlike a certain someone." The thief winked before changing the topic while Shinichi's face fought a combination of a blush and scowl. "Anyway, did you like the flowers I sent you?"

Shinichi snorted with laughter. "Oh, Hattori's face was more red than that wild sorrel. He was ranting for a while. Did you seriously give him chips and handcuff him before he could have any? My eardrum popped after that one." He winced, rubbing his ear tenderly. "But you'll have to help me here, I have no idea what or who the white poppy is for."

The thief bit back his laughter and answered the question instead. "Actually, a white poppy means sleep. I happened to drop by the Hakase's to search for some clues about something, when I noticed the brown haired scientist running between both houses like crazy. So I dropped in. Turns out you had a bad fever..." Realization crossed the thief's face as he scanned the detective once more.

Quick to change topics, Shinichi spoke again. "I hope you enjoyed this time's win KID. You should watch out next time, because we have a little something up our sleeves as detectives too." An involuntary shiver ran through Shinichi's shoulders and he bit his tongue.

"Ho~?" KID smiled, trying to ignore the fact that he could see what was happening. "So you admit this is my win?"

"Of course, this time because a friend of mine is missing on this plane, so I don't have much time to play tonight. So let's get this over with shall we?" Shinichi asked, pulling out several egg shaped containers.

"Missing? Who? Maybe I've seen them." The thief offered, pulling something out of his sleeve himself. They watched each other's movements carefully, waiting for the first move from the other. This wasn't much like a physical match, but more of a chess game of luck.

"His name is Kuroba Kaito. He's a big fan of yours you know." Shinichi resisted the urge to meet the magician's gaze to find a reaction.

"The tall, handsome magician who is always with Nakamori-keibu's daughter at my heists? I know him. So he even found a way to weasel himself into this heist huh?" The thief thought aloud. Shinichi mentally applauded him for managing to compliment himself and be slightly rude so easily.

"Yes that's the one. He's one of my newest friends in Ekoda. Nice connections, though he's close to Hakuba, so I don't think he'll be calling for me when he needs a mystery solved." Shinichi slowly uncapped the first white egg and pressed a small button. "But I think that's enough information for you KID. If you see him later, tell him to come straight to our detective group. Thanks in advance!" Shinichi dropped the first egg and backed up from the scene to allow the gooey trap from Hakase to take action.

Though he sighed when the thief turned out to be ten feet away, he silently celebrated his escape. There fore, he was unaware of the thief throwing a smoke bomb himself, right at Shinichi's feet for a diversion.

The freezing smoke sped up Shinichi's heart rate and he collapsed to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself to shield the cold. Shinichi's body began to shiver and shiver until his teeth chattered. Shinichi had nothing to do but fall over and hug his knees while shivering helplessly. His breaths came out in pants once more as his fever went haywire. The smoke was beginning to clear, but Shinichi didn't notice. It was so cold. So cold, he could move anymore.

"Meitantei-san?" KID called worriedly, suddenly afraid for the detectives well being. The this rushed over to his side and picked him up bridal style, feeling the involuntary shudders and shaking from the detective. Shinichi's skin burned like a flame as the thief cradled him in his arms. "Oi, Oi. I can't believe this is happening now. Why me? What did I do to anger you Lady Luck?" He asked above. The magician wrapped his cape around the shivering Shinichi who hurriedly wrapped it around himself and continued to shiver. Then the magician began to disguise as himself; Kuroba Kaito, with a mirror and light make up.

Once the thief had completed this, he changed his outfit to look similar to Kaito's and picked the detective back up, running to find help. His footsteps echoed everywhere even if the floor was a carpet, and the dim lighting in the halls reminded him that if was passed midnight. Shinichi had been chasing him for more than four hours straight. It was no wonder he was shutting down now.

The thief burst into the detective cabin, panting almost as much as Shinichi himself. "Mi-minna! Shinichi is..." Before he could finish, Shinichi was snatched out of his arms by the Osakan of the group.

"What happened?" Hattori demanded calmly. His teeth were grit and his eyebrows knitted together. The detective pit his forehead against the other and instantly a tug inside Kaito's gut made his face feel slightly inflamed.

"He collapsed when we were walking together and started to shake like that. He as chasing KID for a good two hours straight before KID took the jewel and escaped." Kaito elaborated. It was the plan he came up with while he looked for the cabin.

"And how did Kaitou KID escape, per se?" Hakuba asked from behind the three.

"By hang glider of course." Kaito answered automatically. "Look, I'll explain later. But what do we do to help Shinichi?" He asked anxiously.

Hattori sighed and met the eyes of the other two conscience people in the room. "We land da plane in Osaka as scheduled, but call da Hakase 'n' Sciency-Neechan in Nagoya ta come as fast as d'ey can in two hours." He instructed. We can't do anythin' fer two hours but keep his face cool with a rag."

"What?" Kaito almost cried. "Well then? Find me a damn rag!" He demanded as the dark skinned detective spread Shinichi over an entire row.

"Is that KID's cape?" Hakuba asked as Hattori went to find a rag and a bowl or cool water.

"KID found him first, then handed him off to me saying that he should get medical attention and that he owes his Meitantei-san his deepest apologies for making him come out when he was in bad health." Kaito finished, moving Shinichi's head to sit in that seat. Then he gently set the shivering detective's head onto his lap. Kaito caught the look in Hakuba's eye. "What?" He demanded. "If I wanna help Shinichi with the rag for two damn hours, shouldn't I be comfortable too?!"

The half-Brit put his hands up in defense. "I was just thinking about how you started calling him 'Shinichi'." Hakuba sat down across from him as Hattori came back into the cabin with a rag and water.

"Damn ya look like twins takin' care of each other." Hattori mumbled as he passed a wet rag to Kaito. "It's actually kinda funny."

Kaito ignored the Osakan and wiped Shinichi's face gently. The shivering stopped for a moment as his face cooled and for a moment, a blissful expression washed over his face. "So?" Kaito asked after watching the reaction. "Did you call the Hakase?"

The Osakan was already dialing. "Hakase? Oh 'Neechan." He gave everyone a nervous glance before covering his mouth and the receiver of the cell phone. "Kudou's fever kicked up, 'n' I think he might turn back inta Conan before we land. So I need ya ta be in Osaka when we lame in two hours. Can ya make it?" He whispered. For a moment, all was silent as he listened. It took a full minute before he spoke again. "Yea. Yea, I'll do dat, but it's gonna be hard 'cause d'ey already are suspicious. 'N' there's a certain someone who won let 'im out of their sight like 'Nnechan." Another thirty seconds. "Oi Oi." Irritation and tiredness crossed his face. "Really?" A ray of hope. "Ok okay. Yea yea, I ain't like 'im when it comes ta directions."

"So what did the Hakase say?" Kaito asked.

"We keep 'im 'ere only until he starts shakin' violently. If he does..." He met the eyes of the half Brit and the magician. "Den imma have ta ask ya ta leave da room 'cause of his medical condition."

"And his medical condition is?" Hakuba prompted with a wave of a hand.

"A-ah." The Osakan detective laughed nervously, his inability to lie kicking in. "I don't know da name, but he a-ahh, has spasms 'n' ahh" he scanned the room for a moment. "Has a split personality come out." He detective finished triumphantly.

"As in Multiple Personality Disorder?" Kaito asked, still slightly confused and suspicious.

"Yeah, but much more advanced."

"So we can't be in the room? Does that mean he's violent?" Hakuba asked.

"Exactly!" Hattori laughed. "Since he's violent, it's a matter of yer safety fer ya not to be in 'ere." Which wasn't really a lie. If they did see Shinichi turn into Conan, then their safety would be in danger too.

"Oh okay." Kaito said a bit sadly. "If it's a matter of our safety, and if it makes Shin-chan back to normal, than we'll leave. Right Hakuba?" He looked to the Half-Brit who nodded in response.

Hattori sat down and snickered a bit. "What are you laughing at?" Hakuba asked.

"Well. Ya two haven't been 'round too long to notice, but Kudou often thinks 'n' portrays he's invincible. That he can come over any obstacle. When I see 'im like this, it really makes meh remember dat he's as fragile as everyone else. It's just a bit strange how a lot of things are happenin' ta him lately. Maybe it's a sign, like Kazuha'd say." The Osakan thought aloud. "Really. This guy needs ta take a breather once 'n' a while. Or he'll make da same mistake again 'n' lose someone."

"You mean Ran-chan?" Kaito asked curiously. "Can I ask what happened to them? The last time I saw them, they were totally in love with each other."

"'Ran-chan' as in the Mouri-Tantei's daughter?" Hakuba tilted his head to the side in amusement. "I see."

"Nah. I can't tell ya. Kudou would have ta if he trusts ya enough." Hattori waved the topic off. "Seriously though. What did Kudou ever really do ta deserve this?" Hattori gestured to the sleeping detective who snored peacefully. "Oi, he's lookin' much better. What da hell have ya been doin' Kuroba? I've never seen 'im heal so fast." A look of sheer bewilderedness shadowed the Osakan's face.

"I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing." Kaito confessed sincerely. "At least he's doing better."

A bright twinkle of amusement gleamed in Hakuba's eyes. "I saw." He smirked.

All eyes turned to him. "Ya saw what he was doin'?" Hattori asked. "Oi, tell us."

Hakuba snickered. "Kuroba, you were stroking his face like he was a puppy. Then you started to poke his cheeks for a while, and then you-just like any other person- just wiped his face with the rags. If your hands are cool, then it's no wonder he's relaxing. It might be better than that now warm rag." The half-Brit graciously pointed out.

"Geh!" The magician spat. "He looks so much like someone I'm used to taking care of. That's all. It looks like Shinichi is his model too." Kaito laughed.

"Oh really? Who is it?" Hakuba asked in a bored tone.

"Edogawa Conan." Kaito answered with a laugh.

"Yes?" Came Shinichi's groggy response as he awoke. "Who's calling me?"

All people in the room froze. Shinichi with realization (he was also blushing due to waking up in Kaito's lap), Hattori with panic, and Kaito and Hakuba with surprise and confusion. The room was silent for a few moments until Hattori laughed.

"Come on Kudou! No one was callin' ya! What are ya talkin' 'bout?" The Osakan slapped his lap once to prompted a reaction from the now awoken detective.

"Sorry. Just a stupid dream, and someone kept calling my name in it." Shinichi lied smoothly. "Can I get up Kaito?" He asked a bit timidly.

"A-ah! Sorry!" Kaito laughed, leaning back a bit to allow Shinichi to get up. "You had a bad fever there. Are you okay?"

"Yes. Now I am at least for another three hours." Shinichi looked pointedly at Hattori who held up two fingers in response. A sight of relief pushed passed his lips as he sat down next to Kaito. Shinichi put his head down on the table. "Whoever kept poking my face is gonna die as soon as my energy comes back. And I promise that there won't be any evidence left!" He said cheerily.

Kaito visibly paled, allowing Hakuba and Hattori to crack up with laughter. "It was 'im!" Hattori managed to choke out while pointing at Kaito.

"I'm not going to jail Kaito, but I'll make sure I'll pay you back in full." Shinichi smiled sweetly and Kaito froze.

"Sorry. That look doesn't work on me unless its by someone else." Kaito let slip.

"Oh? And who would that be?"

"Not telling!"

"Anyway," Shinichi rolled his eyes. "What happened to the police? What about the heist? Did KID escape?"

"Why bother asking that last one?" Kaito giggled, earning a punch in the shoulder. "OW! That's so cruel Shin-chan!" Another punch. "What was that one for?"

"Stop calling me Shin-chan." Shinichi snapped. "I hate that nickname. My mother gave it to me."

"I did too!"

"You just had the same idea!"

"Then I should be allowed to call you that too!" Kaito whined. The entire time, Hakuba and Hattori watched them as though it was a ping ball match.

"No."

"Will it make it better if you have a nickname for me?" Kaito asked suddenly.

Shinichi was caught of guard and stuttered an 'alright'. "But I have no idea what to call you. Besides childish and annoying."

"Shin-chan, ya should know better than ta call people names." Hattori snickered.

"Hattori!"

"Shin-chan comes from your name right?" Kaito began. "So why don't you so the same for me?"

"Ito?" Shinichi thought aloud. "No. That sounds like string." AKA; Itou (I think).

"Come on Shin-chan! I know you're just teasing and that you've probably come up with a could make already."

"Kai." Shinichi finished triumphantly. "Or even Kai-kun."

"Wai!" Kaito cheered childishly. "Shin-chan gave me a nickname!" He celebrated.

"Now if you are done, I'd like to answer Kudou-kun's questions." Hakuba interrupted.

"Just Shinichi is fine Hakuba." The Eastern detective nodded. "You've seen me at my weakest, so there's no reason not to befriend you."

"Then, Shinichi-kun." Hakuba tried out. "The police are all sleeping peacefully after we told them our plans for next time. The heist was a success, and KID escaped by hang-glider." The half-Brit explained.

"A success?" Kaito asked, confused.

"Ya duh! I mean, we all can see dat da jewel's bulgin' in her breast pocket Kuroba. Don't tell meh ya didn't notice." The Western detective elaborated.

Kaito pulled the jewel out of his breast pocket, his poker face hiding the 'I'm a complete and utter failure' look. Just then, Shinichi snatched it and held it up to the light. "What are you doing?"

"I think it might be a fake." Shinichi explained.

"I see. That's very true." Hakuba nodded.

"I'm taking it under a microscope. Does anyone wanna join me? After that, I'm going to sleep." Shinichi said.

"Ouu! Ouu!" Kaito jumped up. "Pick me! Pick me!" He cried excitedly.

"Let's go Kai." Shinichi rolled his eyes and led the way.

"I'm catching up on some Z's Kudou! Don't bother me until da plane lands unless it's an emergency!" Hattori called after them, already pushing a roué of seats down into a bed.

Shinichi raised a hand in reply as the door closed behind them. "You know," Shinichi started as he and Kaito walked towards a room at the end of the hall. "I don't reply think it's a fake." Shinichi confessed.

"Eh?" Kaito's step faltered in his surprise. Then a slow smirk came over his face. "You're a great liar Shin-chan. But don't think I didn't see through every lie you've told on his plane."

"Name one." Shinichi challenged.

"You having that dream."

"Che." Shinichi scoffed. "Anyway, the reason why I wanna check it out is because I don't think KID had a chance to himself. The guy can't leave someone in trouble alone, so I don't think he could check it."

"What do you mean by check?"

"I think KID is looking for something in each of his jewels. His most extraordinary heist was when he found a jewel that actually housed another one inside, so I think that maybe that's what he's looking for. A jewel that houses another inside of it." Shinichi finished as the door to their destination opened. "I was actually hoping you would come." He smiled.

"Eh? Why?" Kaito asked as the entered the room and sat down.

"Ran told me you had a special knowledge of jewels. Almost like a jeweler. Do you like gems like this?" Shinichi held up the goal of the night.

"My dad chased after them a lot during his lifetime." Kaito shrugged sheepishly. "I guess I just picked it up."

"That's nice." Shinichi murmured as he inspected the target underneath the microscope. "But this plane is seriously loaded with everything you'd ever need."

"I can see that." Kaito grinned. "So how is it? Are you seeing a second gem on the inside?" He bent over Shinichi's shoulders as though he could see something too.

"Nah, it's another blank."

"That sucks." Kaito sighed bitterly. "We should hand it over to the police huh?"

"Yeah. Along with a forged KID note."

Silence blanketed the room as Shinichi put the microscope away. Then Kaito snapped. "EEEHHHH?!"

Shinichi only smiled. "Think about it Kai. If he didn't get the chance to see it, then he'll want to steal it again right?" Kaito thought for a moment and came up nodding. "So we should tell KID that it's not what he's looking for by putting up a forged note. That way, the public won't be alerted, and the police won't get rustled up either."

"So how are we doing this?" Kaito asked carefully. He didn't want to give too much away.

"We'd need some technology to scan KID's handwriting and then copy every letter we need close enough together so that it looks like it's real. Then, we can just take an old KID drawing and adjust it slightly before printing it onto the paper." Shinichi rambled. "Or, we can find someone good at copying handwriting do the job for us."

"I can do that." Kaito said seriously. "I mimic the tricks of magicians all the time! How hard can copying handwriting be?" Kaito took out a piece of paper from a memo pad on a counter.

"Let's have a test run first." Shinichi said numbly. It's not be didn't know Kaito was saving his own skin. "Why don't you try to copy my handwriting?"

Kaito handed him the slip of paper and a pen. "What will you write?"

Shinichi tapped the pen on his chin while he thought. "It doesn't have to be long, but just so I can really test you, I'll write the English alphabet." He said triumphantly, quickly scribbling each letter.

Kaito leaned over his shoulders and watched him write the letters M-Z. "Wow Shin-chan. Have you been writing in English?" The letters Shinichi wrote came out as neat as though he was English himself.

"Yeah sometimes. Holmes was living in London, so I learned how to read and write in English, as well as speak it." Shinichi explained. "But I mostly did it because my parents had a shelter in England for escaping the press. Though I never got to visit them there, learning English was still a handy forte for when and if I actually go." He finished, handing the paper to Kaito.

"That's nice." Kaito murmured as he began his work, expertly matching the letters. Shinichi smirked behind him, thinking about how ironic this situation was and how Kaito was trying his hardest to conceal his identity.

In no time at all, Kaito had beautifully mimicked Shinichi's English handwriting, and had drawn a KID doodle on the edge of the page. Kaito smirked triumphantly and shoved the page into Shinichi's face. The detective blinked twice before registering what was on the page.

Shinichi let out a low whistle of amazement. "Wow! It's like I wrote it twice! You even got the curly 'L' right!"

"Atari mea da!" Kaito ginned a KID grin unknowingly. "I'm the best in the biz."

"And what biz would that be?" Shinichi questioned as he found and cut out a piece of paper into a card.

"Ahh.." Kaito scratched his cheek with his index finger nervously, startling Shinichi. Kai narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What is it?"

Shinichi blinked away his surprise. "N-nothing. I just have the same habit. So now I know you're trying to think up an excuse for your skill." The detective pointed out.

"Che." Kaito snapped his fingers in dismay. "Geez." Shinichi snickered triumphantly. "So what are we writing Shin-chaaaannnn?" Kaito smirked slyly.

Shinichi glared in annoyance. "Don't say it like that or you won't be able to say it at all." He snapped. "Now we just write the note in KID style." The detective shrugged with indifference. "Piece. Of. Cake."

"Huh?" Kaito asked, noting the sly smirk dancing in Shinichi's lips. 'This is gonna be a long one.' He thought.

With the Hakase

The beetle car, somewhere in Japan, traveling north

"Hakase!" Haibara Ai screeched in fear. "Watch how you're driving! I know I said we had to hurry, but I didn't mean to get us in so many close calls!"

"Sorry." The Hakase laughed a bit. "I just haven't driven like this since Shinichi and O chased after the Black Organization together." The Hakase laughed as the yellow beetle made a wide turn. "It's actually kind of fun!"

"Not fun." Haibara shook her head. "Not fun at all when you're getting tossed around in the back seat."

"Then why don't you put on your seatbelt?"

"Because I can't tear my eyes away from the view of the road I have. As much as I would like to sit in front, we have our fragile supplies there." Haibara glanced at a large cardboard box that held several chemist thingy mabobbers inside for Shinichi's safe recovery.

"Yeah, putting it in the back seat alone would allow it to slide around often." The Hakase remarked, making a left turn. "You should try and rest though Ai-kun." The old man glanced at her though the rear-view mirror and his steel-rimmed glasses. "I have a feeling we'll be up for a while for Shinichi's recovery."

Haibara sighed as she slid into the backseat, buckling her seatbelt. "I guess so." She rested her head against the strap of the seatbelt and closed her eyes, allowing the car's humming and bumping to lull her asleep.

But Haibara couldn't help but think up several scenarios about Shinichi returning to Conan. She planned several ways to get him out of trouble should a problem arise, and figured out several prices for the acts. There was only one week before he went back to the Mouri Detective Agency. One week of endless knowledge being stuffed into her brain if she paid attention to Edogawa Conan's ramblings. She soon fell asleep in her deep thoughts, allowing the Hakase to him quietly and think for himself.

'Its going to be a long night.' He thought wisely. 'Im glad I had that coffee this morning without Ai-kun's permission.' The old man grinned cheekily as he raced to his destination. Of course, counting on his unreliable yellow beetle not to break down this time. 'I wonder if the kids will be okay. I left them a note saying I was going to pick up a friend, but...'

With Shinichi and Kaito much later...

Kaito wiped the sweat off of his brow using his handkerchief. "Phew!" He exclaimed aloud, looking at the paper in front of him."It's-freakin'-done."

"Ya got that damn right." Shinichi sighed as he sank low into his chair. "Half an hour of intense work. My hand's cramped up, my sweater slightly damp with sweat, I have a massive migraine, and my eyes are becoming even more blind than they already are..." Shinichi looked at Kaito who was smiling wryly with amusement. "The list goes on really."

"I second all of those complaints." Kaito said simply. "Now we just stick this above Nakamori-keibu's head or something so he sees it when he wakes up." Kaito put his head down into his arms, leaning his entire chest into the table. "I'm never working that hard with my eyes AGAIN."

"Ditto."

Kaito looked at Shinichi with astonishment. "Wow, Shin-chan. Oh rarely use slang, so that means you're not even exaggerating."

"You've got that right." Shinichi huffed. "Now let's use that idea you just came up with-"

"The one where we put it above Nakamori-keibu's head?" Kaito interrupted.

"Bingo. We'll do that and sneak back into our cabin without waking up Hakuba and Hattori." Shinichi planned carefully. "It's simple, easy, but difficult. If we wake anyone up, it's game over."

"I never get game over." Kaito grinned triumphantly.

"Maybe I should ask you for lessons." Shinichi sighed miserably.

They picked up the card and left the room. "You're not good at video games?" Kaito whispered. Shinichi nodded and the magician snickered. "How bad?"

"I think the fact that I can't go a minute without a game over means that I absolutely fail at video games. I've been told its my hand-I-coordination." Shinichi replied as they drew close to their destination.

Kaito snickered. "We should visit an arcade together sometime, and I'll teach you how to play!" He planned excitedly.

Shinichi's ears turned red as he remembered who exactly he was talking to. "Uhh. sure. Maybe he next time I'm in town. But if you ever get impatient and need someone to teach, Conan is worse at it than I am." Shinichi laughed a bit nervously. "I might not be back here for a very long time." Shinichi said, his voice distant and his eyes glazed over as though seeing a vision.

Kaito inspected him, feeling a bit depressed about his long journey himself. "Yeah. It would be a great male-bonding experience chance with the little bugger." He said quietly as they reached their destination. "Ready?" He asked after a deep breath.

"No." Shinichi said seriously. Then he grinned an almost Kaitou KID grin. "But let's do it anyway." Kaito swung the door open to reveal Nakamori-keibu just closing the door to get inside of his bathroom. "We are so lucky for once." Shinichi muttered.

"Lady Luck favors me again!" Kaito whispered as he hung the note carefully in its chosen area. "I seriously don't think he'll notice until he's awake tomorrow morning." He said with a frown on his face.

Shinichi smirked. "So be it." The toilet flushed in the bathroom and Shinichi glanced at Kaito meaningfully. "Run." He commanded.

Together, the two look alikes bolted the room faster than you could bat an eye. In no time at all, the were approaching their cabin, laughing a bit at how much fun it seemed to be. The adrenaline pumped through their veins, and they tried to calm down before entering the room.

"This'll be the easier one." Shinichi smirked. "Hattori sleeps like a baby. Wouldn't wake up for an earthquake."

Kaito smiled. "I noticed." Then the thief turned his head back to the door. "But Hakuba sleeps lightly. If he hears one thing out of place, the guy'll shoot up like he just sat on a pin."

"You know that how?" Shinichi whispered. "I didn't think you and Hakuba would sleep over each other's houses." The detective confessed. "I mean, you look like you are having a Cold War."

"Like girls?" Kaito arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"Yes, Kai." Shinichi said annoyed. "Like girl drama."

Kaito opened the door to thief cabin and it swung open as soundlessly as a fly. Kaito then tiptoed inside first, matching his breathing to be a beat behind Hakuba's sleeping one. Shinichi followed close behind, but copied Hattori's breathing instead. Now it seemed like four people were asleep in the room, and they'd been there the entire time. No one breathed out of place, and Kaito occasionally added a snore. Soon, he and Shinichi were pulling down to beds, side by side. The beds' order went like this; Kaito, Shinichi, Hattori, and Hakuba. All from the left. The two sneaking boys fluffed their pillows and pulled the thin covers over themselves silently, before restarting thief conversation quietly.

"To answer your question, I know because we often had to sleep over in the school for the festivals." Kaito whispered in one breath. The sound came out almost as though he was really breathing.

Shinichi copied him a bit more sloppily. "Oh. That makes sense." The almost asleep detective breathed in deeply, his back shuddering with the action. To cover up the action, he pretended to silently yawn, an check his watch. "We have almost an hour and a half of sleep time."

"Then we shouldn't delay. Oyasumi, Shin-chan." Kaito said, already letting his heavy eyelids droop dangerously.

"Oyasumi, Kai-kun." Shinichi replied, allowing the magician to fall asleep. He was out like a light the moment his eyes closed, so Shinichi sat up and crept over to the seats meant for flying, taking his blanket with him.

Shinichi gingerly wrapped the blanket around himself, shivering dangerously. Before he knew it, his breaths came out ragged, and he was seeing double of everything. His vision began to fail, and his head swayed back and forth. Suddenly, Shinichi had to bite back a gasp, due to his heart skipping a beat. Shinichi's head started to burn, and his fingers again felt like they were being jammed into a wall. Shinichi clutched the armrests of his chair and groaned quietly, holding back a scream.

"Not now. Please not now." Shinichi checked his watch again. "More than an hour early." He gasped, clutching his chest as the burning sensation in his fingertips began to race and shoot up his arm.

Sweat began to form on Shinichi face as his body overheated, and he gasped once more as his heat skipped two beats. His body pulsed in place, and his eyes opened wide with shock. Shinichi hugged his body as tight as he could, and bit his tongue hard, forcing himself not to make any noise besides gasps and ragged breathing.

'My bones.' He cried in his thoughts. 'My bones are becoming led again. My limbs are growing heavier by the second!' He clamped his teeth on his tongue as hard as he could to hold back what could have been a blood curling scream. 'Think about all the people on board Shinichi.' He told himself. 'The moment you finish this transformation, find a place to hide.'

Shinichi felt his shudders and shivers crawl rapidly down his spine as his shrinking began. The flame in his arms spread to his shoulders and throat, immediately seeming to dry it up. Quickly, the flame moved to his chest, taking its slow and sweet time to inch towards his heart.

Shinichi was able to calm himself with one thought. 'After the burning gets to my heart, all I have to do is bite back a scream, and it'll be over.' He thought over and over again. Shinichi hugged his knees to his chest, currently a fourteen year old.

His head lulled to the side as he felt his bones contract and he became twelve. Then Shinichi was shrinking slowly to become an almost ten year old. The fire finally touched his heart and he choked back a huge scream of pain, falling to the floor in his oversized clothes instead.

Shinichi felt the burning slowly fade away as he stood up, finally Edogawa Conan again. Conan walked to the end of the room and looked into the mirror, examining his body, and checking his mental stability.

"Good bye Kudou Shinichi, and hello Edogawa Conan." He muttered. "Again." The boy sighed tiredly and went back to the room he was in, only to find a certain human blocking his way. Conan instinctively flinched and backed himself up until hidden by the shadows of the room.

"Why hello there. Edogawa Conan." A voice said cooly.

Dun Dun Dun! Who just spotted him? You probably know but I don't care! It was fun writing this and I even got to put my reason in there for making Shinichi sick all the time. I expect reviews, because I like to reply. I think his chapter was mostly filler, but I needed something for them to experience on the plane and then have Shinichi return to Conan. I added the Hakase and Ai part so that you could see what was going on inside of my head with them at the moment. Next chapter they land in Osaka and our beetle riding friends pick them up! Then we speed through the final week as Conan, and start the KIDConan and ConKID stuff. I hope you liked this chapter too! Ja ne!

~crescent!


	8. Chapter 8

Chappie Eight

Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, but I was updating some other stories and enjoying my vacation. So to thank you guys for waiting, I'm making this chapter a little more exciting, considering the end of last chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and gave me their opinions about who spotted Shinichi. I hope I replied to everyone!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Goshou Aoyama and the animation owners. I own nothing but the plot. Thanks for not suing me!:p

Note; there's a long author note at the end! Please read when finished with chapter!

* * *

Story time!~

"Why hello there. Edogawa Conan." A voice said cooly.

Conan flinched, gasped, and reacted in every other way that did not involve fainting, a heart attack, a seizure, or hyperventilation. The boy jumped back, a tight growl resounding inside his throat, thinking that the B.O had appeared. "Who's there?!" He hissed, as though he was a cat, ready to pounce a mouse but was interrupted by a dog.

The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself to Conan. Garnet eyes regarded him with curiosity and weariness, but held a cool mask before them. "Nice to meet you again, Conan-kun. Or should I say, Kudou-san?"

Conan narrowed his eyes before slipping into his game face. "I haven't got the slightest idea of what you're talking about." He quipped, attempting to see how much the witness had seen.

Hakuba sank into the chair behind him, and crossed his legs. "I saw you Kudou-san. There's no running away from it." A competitive vibe passed between the two, each eager to test the other's abilities.

Conan sneered. "Your imagination. You just woke up, your brain could conjure up anything in a dream like state." He shot out, crossing his arms in front of his small torso.

Hakuba smirked. "How do you explain getting on to this plane without us seeing you?" He asked, a knowing smile danced on his lips.

The corners of Conan's lips turned upwards into a Cheshire like grin. "The same way you did. KID-niichan sent me a ticket, so I used it to come. I simply came before everyone else and hung out in my cabin the entire time, plotting for the heist."

"Why weren't you fighting KID during the heist then?"

Conan shrugged. "KID-niichan's assistant probably thought I was a hinderance and knocked me out. At first I was drinking water and the next thing I knew I was sleepy. When I woke up, Shinichi-niichan ran by, yelling into his phone about heart attacks or something. So I assumed that the heist was over."

"I never thought you were the type to assume Conan-kun."

"Everyone slips up sometimes."

"Like you as Shinichi-san?"

"You have no evidence."

At this, Hakuba smirked, pulling out his cell phone. There, in the picture pulled up, was a thirteen year old Kudou Shinichi, as he was shrinking into Conan.

The chibi-tantei, not wanting Hakuba to get involved, tried to cover up again. "Who's that?" He asked.

"Kudou Shinichi as he shrunk into Edogawa Conan." Hakuba replied cooly, allowing Conan to take a good look.

"Computer Effects." The small boy replied easily. "They're everywhere these days."

"Then about the date and time at the bottom of the picture?" Hakuba raised an eyebrow, partly in amusement, and partly to help out with his acting.

Conan clenched his teeth. There was no way to change the date and time on a cell phone... 'What should I do?!' He mentally screamed with frustration. Bright blue eyes stared at the grey phone in Hakuba's hands, and into the photo.

"I think I win this time." Hakuba sighed, taking back his phone and flipping it closed. "So would you like to explain?"

Conan glared half-heartedly at the teenager before him. "I shrunk because I was poisoned. Hattori knows. Haibara and the Hakase next door to my house know too. But that's really all I can tell you. The rest is NEED NOT TO KNOW information." He whispered, carefully watching Kaito's sleeping form.

"And do you know who poisoned you?" Hakuba asked.

Conan shook his head. "No. I believe it was someone who has a grudge against me though. Fortunately, the poison was a prototype, and didn't kill me..." His sentence dropped as the boy fell into a coughing fit.

"So those times you had a fever was due to the drug? And Hattori-kun was just trying to keep your identity a secret..." Hakuba nodded. "You've told the police right?"

Conan shook his head, panting slightly from his coughing. "No. I have enemies in the police force too. Just idiots who are jealous. Telling the police could be like walking into a trap."

"I see." Hakuba nodded. For a while, the two stared at each other. "How are you going to explain your appearance to Kuroba? And you should change into your clothes."

Conan looked down at the over-sized clothes he was wearing and shuffled around in the bag he and Hattori had stuffed full of anti-Kaitou KID toys. "I'll tell him the same lie I told you. There's no reason not to believe me."

Hakuba nodded. "We're landing this plane in about thirty minutes. You should probably figure out a way to explain Shinichi-kun's disappearance."

Conan stopped in his tracks, slowly putting his head down and thinking. "I'll figure out something on my own. I always have." He whispered, leaving towards the bathroom.

It was at that moment that Hakuba registered how much pain Conan was in emotionally. Having to go back and forth between lives, and fixing things he'd messed up. It was as though the boy was trapped between two worlds. The detective fought the urge to look at Conan with pity when he came back, usual uniform clothes on. His sneakers were only half on, and he used his index finger to put them on. For a moment, you could see a true child. One who laughed, and played, and snickered at grade-school jokes. But that image would be torn apart when you saw the sharp and sad eyes hidden behind those dorky glasses.

Hakuba thought for a moment. "I can help you brainstorm." He offered when he saw the child sit in a chair the way Holmes did. "I know Kurouba's train of thought better than you do, so I might know what questions he could ask. Unless you feel like sneaking off of the plane without anyone seeing you. Then Hattori-kun and I can say you left ahead of us because of a call from the police."

Conan looked up at the half-Brit with slightly widened eyes, then chuckled. "Yes of course. Kudou Shinichi rushed out of the plane earlier because of another case. Kaito would believe that." He nodded.

"Considering your luck." Hakuba's lips curved into an amused smile at the Chibi-Tantei's reply.

"Tell me about it." He sighed, placing his head into his hands.

After a moment of silence, Hakuba spoke once more. "If there's anything I can do, just let me know." He said quietly, gazing intently at the small child.

Conan's head snapped up and his eyes reflected nothing but weariness. His entire face was blank, as though his eyes saw nothing. Conan's eyes in this moment, were like looking into a calm pool of water, especially when his face morphed into calm composure. You saw nothing but yourself.

The boy smiled softly, but the look never disappeared. "Thank you Hakuba." He replied quietly. "But you should probably sleep for the last half-hour you get on this plane." The boy jumped out of his seat and walked out of the room, heading to a spare cabin for his own sleep.

Hakuba continued to stare carefully at the chair the boy once occupied, as though it would answer the questions swirling through out his mind. Once he saw that the chair didn't speak to him, he sighed and crawled back into his sleeping space. The Half-Brit shut his eyes in an attempt to forget the previous events, and steadied his breathing. In only a few minutes, he was asleep. After all, he wasn't the type to dwell on a case through out the night. There was a time and place for everything. Besides, he would think about it at home, after conducting some research about both identities. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

* * *

Conan on the other hand was putting a hand over his chest to relieve his fast beating heart. 'I...' Conan paused in front of the spare cabin. 'I didn't think this would ever happen. Especially with Hakuba...' He sighed as he walked into the room and locked the door behind him. The shrunken detective flipped open his phone and set an alarm for twenty minutes. Conan wanted to leave the plane five minutes before everyone else, and there were twenty five minutes before the plane landed.

Feeling tired, sweaty, and mentally exhausted, the boy crashed onto the bed, setting his phone next to his pillow. For a few minutes, he thought about the benefits of bringing another teammate into the game. Would he turn out to be as much as a help as Hattori? Would it be better not give him any details for now? Too many questions swam inside his brain, but the ones he paid the most attention to were important.

'How will Haibara react to this? And am I just digging another grave for someone close to me?'

With those thoughts, the boy finally got some sleep from his crazy messed up day. Luckily, he'd had his Game Face the entire time...

* * *

Haibara and the Hakase had made it into the pick up area at the airport in Osaka just in time. Conan had been racing out of the airport doors faster than a child running for the ice cream truck. Haibara rolled her eyes and flung the back door seat open, allowing the Chibi-Tantei to dive in. The Hakase glanced nervously at him through the rear-view mirror, studying his disheveled look. Haibara did the same, but directly as the boy struggled to catch his breath. Haibara began to worry when he seemed more out of breath than he should've been.

"Jottou!(Wait a minute!) Kudou-kun! Are you alright?" She asked, patting his back gently as he began to cough.

"Fine." He wheezed. "Don't go yet Hakase, let's wait for Hattori." The boy opened one eye to look at the confused professor. "He's covering for me at the moment." He grinned. "Him and Hakuba."

Ai Haibara's eyes widened at that sentence, realization storming her features. After two seconds, her looks morphed into one that screamed, 'PREPARE FOR ALL HELL YOU DAMN PIG!'

"Kudou-kun..." She growled. Conan mentally slapped himself for telling her in an enclosed space. He slid into the corner between the edge of his seat and the car door. "Why is Hakuba-kun covering up for you?!"

Conan laughed nervously. "See, it's a funny story, 'cause all of a sudden, when I was fin-" he was cut off by the car door opening, and he feel off onto the sidewalk with an, "Ah-ahhhh!"

The boy's legs were inside the car, and his entire back on the cold sidewalk. After rubbing his head, he looked up into the face of Hattori Heiji, absolutely portraying what ROFL meant. Yes, Rolling On the Floor Laughing. Accompanying that was his fist slamming into the sidewalk.

"I can't take it when you act like such a klutz!" He cried, picking up the boy and ushering him into the car. The Osakan followed him and, due to the lack of room, made Conan sit on his lap. When the boy began to protest, he replied with, "Maa maa, Conan-kun. Be a good LITTLE BOY."

With this, the Hakase took off, giving Conan enough time to explain about Hakuba (this made TWO infuriated people in the car now, including the Osakan) and why he was panting so hard.

"I was almost seen by KID." He sighed, putting a hand to his chest. "So I booted it out of there. Several times, I thought he was following me, but Hattori and Hakuba distracted him." He explained.

"Kudou-kun," Ai said in a quivering tone. "When did you transform back to Conan?"

The small boy checked his watch. "Almost half-an-hour ago. Why?" He asked, confused at her worry.

Haibara immediately put a hand to his forehead. "I told you not to stress out your body, you're already tired from changing back. Stop pushing your luck idiot." She mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Conan slapped her hand away. "I'm fine! I just recovered from my fever thanks to someone nursing me through the flight." At that, the shrunken detective's face flushed with embarrassment as he remembered who EXACTLY nursed him.

Haibara got the hint and choked back a giggle. "Anyway, we'll be at Hattori-kun's house soon. We'll stay there until seven am, and go back to the airport for the flight back. The Hakase and I have somewhere to stop on the way back, so we'll meet you in Tokyo. Okay?" She finished.

Conan and Hattori nodded happily. "So Kudou, sounds like we're havin' a short sleep ov'r." He grinned. "Fer 'bout six 'r seven hours."

Conan snorted. "Right right."

* * *

With that, the three in the back seat fell asleep until they reached Hattori's house. The Hakase managed to usher the children into the household (several times they stumbled until they fell) and safely into bed, where an expectant Mrs. Hattori waited.

The kind woman already had two futons out in the spare bedroom for the Hakase and Haibara, and one in Hattori's room for 'Kudou'. Though she admitted that she thought Kazuha and Ran would be here. The Hakase laughed quietly and mumbled an apology as he cradled Ai-kun in his arms. He set her down into the bed and said his thanks to the Oku-sama, who only replied airily

"Iiye. This's nothin' compared ta what ya'll 're always doin', takin' care of Heiji all da time." She giggled before bowing and leaving the Hakase to sleep himself.

Like that, the entire household fell asleep for a few hours.

* * *

Next Morning

Conan/Shinichi's POV

* * *

I shot up in my futon, feeling that something was terribly wrong. Quickly, my groggy mind went through today's plans. Then I almost had a heart-attack, looking at the time on my phone. "HATTORI!" I yelled, springing out of the futon and jumping the sleeping Osakan in his bed.

The Detective of the West jumped up and out of bed. "What?! What is it?!" He answered. "What's wrong Kudou?!"

"WE ARE LATE FOR THE PLANE!" I screamed.

Scrambling and tumbling down the stairs after zooming out of his room. I skidded and tumbled a bit as I quickly found the room the Hakase and Haibara were sleeping in.

I slid and slammed the door open, yelling a the top of my lungs. "MORNING SUNSHINES! WE'RE LATE!" Immediately, the pair shot up and scrambled out of he bed. Just as we were rounding the corner, Hattori came around, dressed in different clothes and panting.

"Let's skidaddle!" He panted, and the four of them ran to the front door. What was waiting there surprised him.

The Oku-sama was standing by the entrance, a platter in hand, and several pieces of bread covered in chocolate spreading. Another silhouette stood behind her, grinning wildly, and Conan's breath caught in his throat.

"Heiji-kun!" Waved one Kuroba Kaito, his grin close to KID's.

Hattori froze in his place. "What 're ya doin' 'ere Kuroba?" He asked walking up to his mother, mumbling a good morning, and gladly takin four slices of that bread and munching on one.

"Ya know dat one hotel down da street? I was stayin' dere 'til I saw a friend who lives 'ere. He told me all 'bout da city 'n' 'bout yer cases. Dhen he said 'Hattori Heiji's house's jus' down da street, wanna take a look?' So I told 'We have da same flight later', 'n' he left me ta wait ya'll out." He finished in two breaths. "'N' if Hakuba was 'ere, he'd say dat we're 'twenty minutes, twenty-five seconds, and seven milliseconds late'." He mimicked the British accent so perfectly, even I couldn't help but snicker. Everyone stared wide eyed at the magician speaking in Kansai-ben, but he only grinned.

"Yeah, well let's not make it so that we have to hear that for real. Yes?" I rolled my eyes, taking two slices off of the platter. Haibara and the Hakase followed suit, mumbling thank you's and taking their leave.

"'Sank ya, Okaa-han!" Hattori called as they tumbled into the Hakase's car. Then he grinned. "Who's sittin' in my lap?" He asked us children.

I hesitated, making Haibara answer first. "I will." She sighed heavily. "Edogawa-kun takes the stranger." She glanced at Kai-kun.

"Oh don't worry Haibara." I grinned mischievously and she seemmed to brace herself. "This is Ran-neechan's 'boyfriend'." I smirked, noting the giddy look in her face.

She seemed to bite back a giggle, and Hattori laughed aloud. "Then in that case, he's all yours Kudou-kun."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked as they sat in the car. Haibara seemed unfazed at her current situation, making me put my lips together to hold back a smile. She pointed to Kaito and I nodded.

I childishly ran over to Kai-kun and made a pleading face, seeming to surprise the man. "Kuroba-niichan, the Hakase's car is pretty small. So is it okay if I sit in your lap for the ride?" I asked timidly, wringing my hands together and feeling a blush creep up to my face.

Kai-kun just smiled and took me up into his arms. "Why not?" He laughed sliding into the seat and placing me comfortably in his lap. I already knew a large blush was covering my face, due to the hot and tingling sensation.

Trying to hide my blush, I carefully ate the chocolate covered slices of bread. "What is this Heiji-niichan?" I asked, ignoring the amused snickers from that pair.

Hattori took a moment to stop his snickers. "It's called Nutella. Hazelnut chocolate spread on bread. Toast or regular." He informed, wolfing down his last one.

I heard Kai-kun hold back a gasp of delight. "Nutella?" He breathed dreamily. I looked up at him questioningly, feeling my face grow warmer as I shyly offered him one. "Eh?" He asked.

"I'm not that hungry." I mumbled, holding the slice closer to his face. "You can have it."

Kaito's face suddenly morphed into a KID smirk, but disappeared as he opened his mouth. "Ahhhhh..."

I blushed even harder, if possible, and fed him a bite, forcing the rest into his hands and facing forward. I clenched my fists into my lap and felt that blush just linger on my face. It intensified when Kai put his arms around my waist, seeming to hug me from behind. I tired my best to ignore the excited sequels and snickers in the seat next to me, feeling myself get dizzy with exhaustion.

Soon I was dipping my head and leaning forward. Strong and large hands pulled me back to lay on a warm chest, an amused chuckle erupting from it. Unconsciously, I snuggled up against it, breathing in the intoxicating scent of chocolate and mint.

I loosely grasped the shirt covering the shirt and allowed myself to fall into a deep slumber, ignoring the snickers and giggles next to me. "Kai-kun..." I mumbled.

* * *

Kaito's POV

I froze, turning to Hattori-kun. "How does he know that nick-name?" I asked, keeping my voice from trembling.

The science girl answered giggling. "We have no idea. Right, Hattori-kun?" She arched an eyebrow at him.

"A-Ahhh." Heiji-kun nodded. He whispered to the girl, "Are ya alright with 'im findin' out 'bout 'im?" The girl nodded.

I rolled my eyes. "Why would I need your permission to find out Conan's secret?" I asked, pouting slightly and feeling annoyed.

Ai-chan answered. "Because I caused it." She answered bluntly and in a monotone. Being a master of poker face, I knew she was feeling hurt at the fact.

"I see." I nodded, unconsciously petting Tantei-kun's head. For a while, I just stared down at my still moving hand, deep in thought. It was a few minutes before I talked again. "Wasn't he supposed to be on vacation in Europe for another week?" I whispered wistfully. "Why did he lie?"

"He didn't." Ai answered smoothly. "Kudou-sama's editors found them in Europe and tackled them until they couldn't continue their trip. So Edogawa-kun got sent home early. Now he's just waiting out the rest of the week at Kudou-kun's house." She explained. "Apparently, Kudou-san forgot the author's note at the end of his book."

I watched the girl carefully, realizing she was lying. Maybe this had something to do with Tantei-kun's secret, so he lied for the time being. I leaned back in my seat with a sigh. "I'm catching some Z's you two." I mumbled, allowing my head to lull back.

I made sure to keep my hand on Tantei-kun's back. There was no reason to let to of him now. I had finally reunited with him after an _entire_ week on my own. For the heck of it, I removed his glasses, setting them in my chest pocket.

'Now he'll be much more comfortable.' I thought.

* * *

* ~ * ~ * Much Later! After their car ride!

* * *

It wasn't long before I was cradling Tantei-kun in my arms as we climbed on the plane. Hakuba and the rest of the police force joined us on the plane, and for some reason Hakuba snickered when he saw Tantei-kun and I.

I plopped into a seat carefully, keeping Tantei-kun balanced and sleeping. "Gawd, he can be so adorable sometimes." I smiled pleasantly. "When he's not hanging around dead bodies, glaring, or kicking a soccer ball."

I set his glasses on my own face and fiddled with them, learning the kinks of the gadget. I could feel the corners of my mouth twitch up in amusement at the mental image of myself. Of course, to be even remotely close, I thought of Shinichi.

"Three hours, fifty-five minutes, twenty four seconds, 'n' nine milliseconds." Heiji-kun whispered, looking at Hakuba's pocket watch.

A vein popped on Hakuba's forehead. "Excuse me?" He asked, clearly annoyed. "Are ya mockin' me Hattori Heiji?" He asked, mimicking his accent.

Heiji-kun glared daggers. "I mean how long he's been clutchin' 'is shirt like dat. He rafuses ta let go."

Hakuba and I furrowed our eyebrows. "Who?"

Heiji-kun pointed a finger to Tantei-kun. "Him of course. Look at all da wrinkles 'e's caused in da shirt." He snickered happily.

"It's true." Hakuba breathed looking at my shirt. "Too bad you're wearing a blouse." He hummed in his accent.

I shrank back, unconsciously pulling Tantei-kun closer to me protectively. "So? He doesn't have an older sibling or Dad at the moment, so acting like the true child he is while asleep doesn't mean anything." I defended.

An annoying smirk appeared on Hakuba's face. "Right." He said sarcastically, then he poked Tantei-kun's face, so I slapped his hand away. Somehow, that resulted in his own laughing.

I pouted, hugging Tantei-kun closer. Suddenly, he stirred slightly. "I wish Shinichi was here too." I said. "Conan could finally meet him after such a long time." I smiled. The child in my arms stirred slightly. "Oh I think he's waking up..." I blinked in mild surprise.

Hakuba and Hattori walked over, bending over us slightly. Boy were we all a sight! Like a family leaning over a new child in the family. A slight sigh passed through Tantei-kun's lips, and his eyebrows twitched.

"I do not need to be carried Kaito-niichan." He mumbled, loosening his grip on my shirt. "Or to be inspected by three pairs of eyes." He involuntarily shivered before allowing his eyelids to lift slowly to see the world. He stared into the faces of Heiji-kun and Hakuba.

The Osakan of the group suddenly snickered, lips twitching up in amusement. "Ya 'n' yer paranoid nature."

Tantei-kun glared daggers at the western detective before struggling to get up. I reluctantly let the small boy out of my arms and grip. He stumbled slightly, but then regained his balance after a brief tumble. "I didn't know how hard it was to adjust to the air pressure after waking up on a plane." He mumbled softly to himself. We watched as he popped his ears without a need to touch his nose. "Heiji-niichan, do me a favor and find me some juice or something."

Heiji-kun blinked in shock. "I heard wrong... right? He said juice?!" The Osakan bought a hand to his face.

"What's wrong with that?" Hakuba asked, slightly confused. A child did need his nutrients and vitamins. Juice helped with that.

"He usually asks fer strong black coffee..." Heiji-kun mumbled before leaving the room to find juice.

I watched as Tantei-kun lazily slumped in a seat, pulling something out of his bag. I gasped. "Is that a gun?!" I demanded.

Tantei-kun grinned wildly before pointing it at his face. And before I could react, he pulled the trigger! "Tan-" I stopped, noticing the stream of clear water hitting him in the face. "You almost gave me a heart attack..." I sighed, hand in my chest. Hakuba patted my back once before strolling over to sit next to him.

"I've been meaning to ask, but what's in the bag?" Hakuba started off.

The small boy grinned lazily before opening the mouth of the black gym bag and showing it to him. Hakuba froze in a shell-shocked position before swallowing his saliva down and laughing full heartedly.

"And who would give a child these?" He asked, gesturing to the inside of the bag. Curious, I walked over, but not before putting Tantei-kun's glasses in my breast pocket.

"Custom made by the Hakase or Haibara." He shrugged as I got a look into the bag.

I gasped, finding myself looking down at the stock pile of Shinichi's toy guns. A few other things accompanied the guns. Like smoke bombs, slime bombs, and anything else heist worthy. I gaped at the child next to me. "Where'd you get these?" I asked suspiciously.

"They were in my room for a while." he shrugged. "Then I went to collect them again and hand them over to Shinichi-niichan." He mumbled, lazily curling up into a cat like form in the seat.

Just then, Heiji-kun returned. "Ahh, I see yer goin' through da ANTI-KID weapons." He said after registering what was going on. He chucked the carton of orange juice in his hands to Tantei-kun. The boy chuckled in amusement when he caught it in one fluid motion by having to reach far above his head.

He immediately began to poke the straw in and drink. Hakuba grabbed a few of the guns and started toying with them after a gesture from Conan. Heiji-kun had decided to sit on Hakuba's other side, leaving me to sit next to the genius boy.

After a moment, an undignified squeak escaped the child's lips, completely of terror. "My glasses!" He cried, putting his hands on his face to check for their existence. I put a finger to my lips at the other two detectives who shared knowing glances. "Why didn't anyone tell me about my glasses?!" He demanded fiercely. Everyone shrugged.

"I don't dink anyone noticed..." Hakuba threw as a response.

Tantei-kun was already so flustered! It had only been thirty seconds, but he was frantically searching under the seats, beds, and triple checking the floor. For a moment, he looked at us suspiciously, before a helpless look busied his features again.

"Calm down Ku-Ko-Conan! Jus' use da spares from da bag." Heiji-kun suggested. I screwed up my face at his stuttering, and at Hakuba's elbow ramming his rib.

Conan slipped into a pout. "Not bullet-proof, not layered for smoke screen protection, no tracking system, no bugging system, and real..." He shuffled through the bag and found them, slipping onto his face.

"Why? Your other ones aren't real? And why do you need them to be bullet-proof? I understand the other ones..." I asked. I actually knew the reason for bullet-proof, but I'm 'not' KID... Hehe.

Tantei-kun flashed a smirk, as though he knew something. "I was once dragged into a case, which I dubbed the Last Wizard of the Century.. But others called it whatever the murder's name was. Apparently, she liked to shoot people in the right eye. And they _are_ real!" He smiled, putting on the glasses.

Heiji-kun snickered as Tantei-kun struggled to get into the chair. However, his hand missed the arm rests and he fell onto he floor. "Gah... A-ahh!" Thump! "Ahahahaha..." He got up, and laughed it all off.

"Conan-kun?" I asked, helping him into the chair. "What's wrong?"

He pulled off his glasses. "They're spares, but they're old. So now they're making it hard to see." He explained.

I thought on that for a moment. "Oh, so your eye sight got worse over time and you needed to get new glasses." I nodded.

"Hey, we're headin' ta Kudou's house when we get off of dis plane. Anyone wanna come?" Heiji-kun asked.

"Who are you to invite us?" Hakuba asked, slightly annoyed.

"Nothin' wrong with da idea. Right?" He asked Tantei-kun. "Yer da host fer now right?"

Conan-kun nodded. "I'm king until the return of Shinichi-niichan." He smirked smugly. "So if you'd like, you can come." He shrugged.

"The 'niichan' ruined that." Hakuba pointed out.

"Shut up ya Half-Brit. It was perfectly fine fer a Japanese." Heiji-kun snapped.

"I'll take you upon your offer." The blonde smiled, making Tantei-kun's face twist into a grin. A sudden tug in my gut made my face screw up into a scowl. I rarely made Tantei-kun grin like that.

"Are you coming too?" Conan leaned over to me eagerly. I blinked, trying to remember what was going on.

"Uhhh.." I tried to remember if I had anything left to do at home. "Sure I guess." Shrugging, I searched Tantei-kun's expression of glee. "Why are you so excited?" I asked.

He froze for a moment, then fidgeted in his seat. "Ah... It's been a while since I've had a sleep over in that house... I miss it. It's my home." He said, blushing slightly.

"Home...?" Then I remembered what he'd said about being in Japan for so long. "Then this sleep over should be fantastic!" I exclaimed giddy, making small magic tricks using cards. "We could play cards!" I squealed, making twenty cards appear in my right hand.

"Now we have to wait for this plane to land..." Hakuba murmured.

"True." Tantei-kun replied. "Why don't you guys sleep or something. We still have half an hour or so until landing." He tried to check his watch. "Seriously! This long and I haven't even remembered to put on my watch!" He growled, sticking his hands into the gym bag angrily.

I widened my eyes at his opened wrist watch. "What kind of gadget is that one?" Hakuba asked, getting comfortable into his seat.

"Stun gun wrist watch." Tantei-kun grinned. "We used it on the girl who-" he stopped himself and cleared him throat. "I mean, Heiji-niichan used it on the girl who tried to poison everyone."

"Who told you that?" I asked.

Tantei-kun twitched his forefinger. "Heiji-niichan of course." He answered, eyes closed calmly. "Now take a nap Kaito-niichan."

Conan strolled over to the middle of the room, in the open space. He tapped his foot for a moment, as though he was thinking that something was missing. I looked at the over two across from me, who were already seeming to snooze away. I mimicked their sleeping postures and closed my eyelids until I could only see through a crack. Tantei-kun looked over at us, before removing his glasses and setting them on one of the beds. Then, he let a smile break through his thinking face as he popped a soccer ball off of his belt. I almost blinked in surprise, but froze instead as my instincts told me to run away from the thing.

Tantei-kun just juggled the ball with his feet, hands in his pockets, and thinking face on. Deciding to ditch the sleeping idea, I watched him continue. After a minute, the ball deflated on the floor. He sighed tiredly, taking it and slapping it onto his belt, where it just sucked into the clasp.

The ball disappeared and he sat down criss-cross applesauce (I love saying that!), hands on his knees. He seemed to be in deep thought and waiting for something. Suddenly, he straightened up as though someone had poked him. Slowly, he turned his head around to look straight at me. Taking a sigh when he saw that I was awake, he relaxed.

"You're really talented at soccer." I commented, putting my chin in my palm and leaning on the armrest lazily.

A blaze of red washed over his face, and I chuckled, amused. "T-thanks!" He stuttered, slightly fidgeting. "Are you good at any sports Kaito-niichan?"

(Sorry for the quick swap, but it's time for Conan's POV)

I didn't like those eyes. The violet eyes that made me feel like I was see through. Kai's eyes were half-lidded, and gazing at me intently. I felt as though I was being analyzed... And it was so uncomfortable.

'Is this how people fell when I do that?' I asked myself. I cleared my throat. "Are you good at any sports Kaito-niichan?" I chirped, deciding not to tell him that I knew he was KID at the moment.

His eyes reminded on me the entire time. "I like table tennis... It helps with magic tricks." He said thoughtfully. "You're hands are always moving."

I chuckled. "I tried it once, but you could say that I get the same result as video games." My hands were wringing themselves nervously as Kai's violet eyes watched me carefully.

"Shin-chan told me that you sucked at video games too!" He laughed, getting up and away from the snoozing duo.

Walking over to me, his eyes roamed around my surroundings as though he was a cat. His body language was cool and relaxed, but almost predator like. Uncertainly, I took a step back, but he continued until he was right in front of me. Suddenly, he reached a hand out towards my waist and I yelped in surprise, feeling my face heat up. He smirked as he pressed the button in my belt and let out the soccer ball. I cringed at my train of thought mentally.

"Conan-kun, you're so naughty." He purred spinning the soccer ball on his finger. "You're only ten. I'm nine years older." He smirked, concentrating on the soccer ball.

I clamped my mouth shut, not finding an excuse to word out. I kicked the ball out of his hand and began bouncing it on my hand. "I hate you." I muttered, beginning to bounce the ball on my head.

Kai just laughed and took me into his arms, embracing me from behind. "Liar~" he whispered into my ear, slightly huskily. "You know you like me!" He sang.

"Yeah. Like." I said sarcastically, he just raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Now get your hands off me, I'm not allowing you to steal my eight year old innocence." I smirked, walking away from him. But not before allowing him to see my face. "Stealing isn't nice you know. Not without a heist note."

Kai sat frozen in shock as I strut away from him, throwing back a triumphant smirk. He gaped after me, his poker face frozen in place. "Ah _shit_." He pouted. "I _so_ did not need a detective knowing my identity." He face palmed and I laughed.

"You thought you could hide it from me?" I asked. "Once someone gets close to me, their secrets are revealed like ripping a table cloth off of a table." I smirked dropping myself into his inviting lap. "Hmmm... When was the last time I sat here?" I asked quietly, closing my eyes in blissful peace.

Kaito just chuckled. "Almost a week and a half ago. Or as Hakuba says," he cleared his throat and made a funny face. "One week, four days, 4351 hours, twenty-three minutes, sixteen seconds, and ten milliseconds." He mimicked.

I chuckled. "Sure, sure." I waved it off.

"Too bad you missed Shin-chan's appearance. I heard your vacation was cut off. Did you get any souvenirs for me? Preferably a dessert?" He asked, allowing me to get up and out of his lap.

"No. We were going to go souvenir shopping during the second week. The first week was all touring." I lied sadly.

"Che." He scoffed. "I wanted a Le 'Creme Choco pie." He pouted.

"Sorry!" I laughed. "Honestly, I wanted to see Belgium, but we were able to see London a least!"

"That's nice." Kai said, looking at me with that half-lidded look. "So we're going to Shin-chan's house? Can we visit the attic again? I wanna hear you play that violin again." He smiled happily.

"Then you have to make pancakes for breakfast tomorrow." I countered happily. "There's sweeter syrup now, and those things in the pantry are gone."

Kai flinched at the memory, turning sickly pale and wringing clammy hands together. I burst into a fit of giggles a his reaction. He sent me a dirty look and I stopped myself abruptly.

"Sorry, sorry." I said airily. "Why aren't you going to sleep?" I asked. "Are you trying to fall asleep at only nine o'clock tonight?" I accused teasingly.

Kaito rolled his eyes. "I'm nocturnal, you can't make me sleep at night unless after a heist." Yet he complied anyway, flopping onto one of the beds and closing his eyes. "You know what?" He said suddenly.

"Hmmm?" The noise signaled him that I was paying attention.

"I'm going to try lucid dreaming." He announced suddenly.

"People do that naturally." I pointed out. "After all, it's just a dream where you are aware of the dream and can control it."

"There's a way to do it forcefully. You just pretend to sleep, but stay mentally awake." He said.

"How do you do that?" I asked sarcastically. I did that all the time.

"Simple. The body falls asleep after half an hour of complete stillness. While you're awake, you hallucinate." He finished.

"Good luck with that." I snorted.

"Wave a hand in front of my face after half an hour to see if I fell asleep. If I can sense your hand, I did something wrong." He instructed.

"Whatever." I picked up a Sherlock Holmes book from the black gym bag and began to read.

The Scarlet in the Study was a great book. The beginning of Sherlock Holmes and a classic. I liked to read Holmes's first appearance over and over again. The way his relaxed air caught even the attention of other detectives in the room, or the way every piece of knowledge was tucked away in his brain, as though they were old pieces of furniture in his attic. Another classic was the first appearance of Irene Adler. She was beyond clever, and close to genius. The very first and only woman to have ever out smarted Sherlock Holmes. At first, it had seemed as though Sherlock had won, until he found something addressed to him: a letter from Irene herself. It was most amusing.

Before I know it, the half hour was up, and I was waving my hand in front of Kai's face. He seemed to be asleep, yet a slight difference in his breathing pattern alerted me that he was awake, and couldn't notice my hand. My lips twitched up in amusement when I couldn't bring myself to imagine what he could possibly dreaming about. But ten minutes later, I felt a difference in air pressure, signaling that we were flying downwards. I popped my ears as we touched down at Tokyo's most used airport.

Strolling over to Hakuba and Hattori, I waved a hand in front of their faces. Hakuba, being the light sleeper he was, was the only one who stirred. "Hakuba." I murmured. "Wake up, we've landed." His eyelids fluttered before they revealed his garnet color eyes.

Smirking at him, I grabbed the glass of water on the table and dipped my finger tips in them. After collecting the drops of water, I flicked them onto Hattori's face, who stirred. "Ha~ttori..." I called like a ghost. "Ha~ttori..." The man shot up.

"Obaahan (in this case meaning 'grandma')?" He called, looking around as though the world was hazy. "Hey da tunnel of light's down dat way..." He yawned.

"Hattori." I rolled my eyes. "Wake up. We landed in Tokyo." I informed him, gripping his hair in one hand and gently slapping his face with the other. "And your grandma died? Why wasn't I invited to the funeral?"

He snapped his eyes open completely before slapping my hands away. "She died before I met ya of course. 'N' I know how much ya hate funerals." He said, coming to his senses. "Where's Kuroba?"

"Over there, trying to force himself into a lucid dream. I think it worked though." I said, pointing to the almost completely still body of Kai. He only info that he was alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest and his soft breathing.

"Woah." Hattori breathed as we walked over to him. "He looks like... I dunno. Like a science test subject in one of dose glass bed dingys." He shrugged. "He's barely breathin'."

I shut off his air supply by plugging his nose, and, when it fell open, covering his mouth. After an entire two minutes, Kai shot up and wheezed for air. Hakuba and Hattori laughed their heads off behind me, but I stared wide eyed.

"That was an entire two minutes!" I breathed. "I almost thought you died! Or at least ended up unconscious."

"Gee, thanks for your concern." He replied, rolling his eyes a the duo on the floor, struggling to regain their own breaths. "Are we leaving?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, plane just landed." He suddenly scooped me up and a bag. "What are you doing?!" I demanded, completely embarrassed that he was carrying me as though I was an actual child. Well, according to his knowledge... Whatever!

"Bye you two, we're leaving now!" He called to the arguing duo as he left the room.

"Hattori! Don't forge the bag or Haibara will slit our throats!" I called in a warning tone. My voice quivered with fear at the idea, and Kai looked up at me in amusement.

"You mean Ai-chan? She's a very nice little girl." He commented. "She told me though, that she caused whatever your secret is about." He said thoughtfully. "Hmmmm..."

"She _is_ _not_ a nice little girl!" I gasped, bewildered at the thought. "She's the devil's spawn!" I exclaimed as we went down the tunnel connecting the airport to the plane.

Kai laughed heartily as we entered the airport, getting a few glances. "Don't even ask." He said, taking my words out of my mouth. I was seriously going to ask him to put me down...

"Can you read minds?" I asked sarcastically, as he maneuvered his way through the crowds of people. It took us fifteen minutes to exit the place. We had to wait nearby the entrance for Hakuba and Hattori to come clambering out.

"I can't stand yer damn airport Ku-Ko-Conan damnit!" Hattori punched his fist into his other hand with frustration. "It's always like yer tryin' ta push her way through a school of fish 'r somethin'!"

Kaito visibly paled and yelped in surprise, releasing me in the process. I looked up at him. "Are you okay Kaito-niichan? Did you see something scary?" I asked, tugging on his shirt sleeve.

He recollected himself and smiled down at me. "Oh I thought I saw my mom... She'd murder me if I was here with a bunch of detectives. You especially." He patted my head.

"Why?" Hattori asked as we walked over to a rental car place.

"Simple. Kuroba is the number one suspect for being the true identity of Kaitou KID." Hakuba answered.

"Really?" I asked in a childish wonder-like tone. "What did you do?"

"Hakuba thinks just because I use magic, match Kaitou KID's physique, and never go to heists in Ekoda that I'm Kaitou KID. That's a very stupid idea. Don't you think?" He explained, as though explaining to a stupid child why their rubber duckies float in the bathtub water.

At this I laughed childishly. "Hakuba-niichan! That's not enough evidence! There are a lot of people with similar physiques to Kaito-niichan's! Think about Shinichi-niichan for example!" I bubbled with childish giggles at the detective, inwardly gagging and snickering at Hakuba's glare.

"We both know why Shinichi-kun couldn't do that, Edogawa." Hakuba retorted.

I shifted my face into a bright smile. "I'm glad to know you have such faith! But seriously! Many people have similar physiques, and many people do magic tricks. Why he won't go to heists in Ekoda is the mystery you should be concentrating on." I said politely, ditching the childish act.

"One heist, I got one of Kaitou KID's hairs, and analyzed that to give me the physique information and age. Apparently, KID is also in high-school. You can see how this gets suspicious Edogawa, you're a detective yourself." Hakuba persisted.

"Yes but everything is circumstantial evidence. If you find out why he doesn't go to Ekoda heists, you might get the answer. Do you have any physical evidence? Like DNA samples to compare to Kaito-niichan's? Come on Hakuba-niichan. You've known Kaito-niichan this long and _still _haven't taken a DNA sample? What about KID's DNA? Surely with how much he gets you changed into a dress or something, you could get a sample? Even that hair would work, and you'd have half of the job done." I rolled my eyes at him as he gaped.

"Clearly Edogawa, you seem to know how to handle this much better than I do. So why don't you do the work and we'll see who's right." Hakuba challenged.

I smirked. 'Got'chya.' I thought. "I accept your challenge. Besides, with some of the newest technology next door to Shinichi-niichan's house, I'm sure we'll get accurate results." I smiled as Hattori came back with the keys to our rental car. "There is absolutely no way in heaven or hell that I'm letting you drive." I growled darkly.

"Ah come on! Jus' 'cause I almost got us in trouble last time doesn't mean dat I can't drive! I gotta license ya know." He whined. "Please!" Hattori begged.

"When hell freezes over." I snapped. "Hakuba can you drive?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied.

"Hattori." I jerked my head slightly in the direction of the British detective. "Or I'll tell Kazuha about what you were watching on TV the other day when I came home." I smirked triumphantly at the paling detective who shakily handed the keys over to the Half-Brit.

"Ya promised!" He cried, stomping off to the car we rented. It was an American styled car, famously known as a Corolla 2009 model. The car would cost about 12,000 in 2011. Perhaps even less now. Apparently, giving the wheel to Hakuba was a grand choice for driving the black car.

"Why would you pick out an American styled car in Japan when you wanted to drive it?" I asked. "You aren't used to it."

"Pfft." Hattori waved my question and comment off. "I can drive anythin', so long as it has a wheel, brake, and gas pedal." He slid into the shot gun on the left, leaving Kai and I in the back seat. "Plus, I asked da guy ta give me da cheapest yet best quality car d'ey had available. He gave meh dis one. 'Dough I like da two gold 'n' thin stripes tracin' the body of da car. It's a nice touch."

I just rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the phantom thief beside me. "What's wrong Kaito-niichan?" I asked quietly, so that the duo in front of us couldn't hear anything. He seemed to be fuming and pouting about something while glaring outside the car window, arms crossed in front of his torso as he leaned against the door.

"I can't believe you're helping Hakuba." He huffed in annoyance. He refused to meet my eyes, and I felt annoyance at his childish act. I _wanted_ those violet eyes to gaze at me. _And me only_.

I reeled at my train of thought before bursting into a fit of laughter. All noise in the car stopped as all attention turned to me, but I couldn't stop laughing! I laughed and laughed and laughed until I couldn't breathe, clutching my sides, crying, and wheezing. And unfortunately... I blacked out for a few minutes. I awoke to nervous chatter a few minutes later.

"What was so funny dat he's unconscious?" Came Hattori's voice.

Kai was the one to reply. "I... Don't know..." He sighed. I groaned before struggling to lift my heavy eyelids.

I opened them to bright and curious violet eyes. Apparently, my head was in KID's lap as though I was a cat or a wounded person. I felt my face flush and I shot up, scrambling over to the far side of the car, feeling that my personal space had been invaded.

"What was so funny?" Hakuba asked first. "And it's Beika's twenty-second block right?"

"Yes." I replied automatically, calming down. "The funny thing was watching as Kaito-niichan fumed and pouted about me proving his _innocence _as Kaitou KID." I chuckled again. "What was making me laugh so hard, was what I planned to do about the situation anyway." I shrugged. "And please... Don't ask." I sat back in my seat and allowed myself some thinking time before I was interrupted. "If you see the police pounding in your door in three days, you can punish me in whatever way you want if you manage to escape their breaking down your door." I murmured to him. Then I blushed at the implications.

Kaito's half lidded look returned as he gazed at me. "Oh I'll escape if that happens, and I'll make sure I punish you fully." A hungry look flashed across his face and eyes and I scooted farther away from him.

"Pedo. I'm eight." I reminded him, knowing what he was thinking.

"You said in whatever way I wanted." Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Does that not fall under the category?" He asked.

I bit my bottom lip in thought, until a thumb brushed them in one swift move. "What. Did. I. Say." He demanded quietly.

I squirmed in my seat, thankful for the fact that Hakuba and Hattori were bickering about which country was greater; England or Japan. "'Mine.'" I repeated, touching my lips with the tips of my fingers, blushing furiously.

"Conan-kun." Kai said loudly, stopping the two from bickering and turning their attention back to us. "Your face is all red! Are you sick?" He asked innocently. I felt mortification flood my system as two pairs of mischievously glinting eyes looked at me through the rear-view mirror.

"It's nothing! Just a little warm that's all!" I chirped, hiding and cringing behind a perfect game face and mentally slapping myself. The blush went down the moment I replied. 'Whoever made poker faces and game faces, I love you.' I thought to the heavens above.

"Really?" Kaito asked pulling me closer to him and leaning his forehead on mine after brushing my bangs away. I froze, not reacting at all and becoming a lifeless doll by using my game face. My attention was on mentally stamping the blush trying to creep onto my face with my feet. "Hmm... You only seem a little warm... I guess you're okay then!" He cheered.

"Okay." I said robotically, trying to reboot my brain. At that moment Hakuba pulled into the Kudou mansion drive way, parking the car. The half-brit driver whistled low. "This is Shinichi-kun's house? It's a mansion. Not a house."

I clambered out of the car while the others gazed at it in wonder. For a moment, I was also staring up into the lonely home of mine, before a glint in the far top right hand corner window surprised me. It was then that I knew what I was seeing.

_I was looking a the polished glint of a silver gun. _

My brain flew into high drive as I whirled at the people inside the car who were attempting to get out. "DUCK AND COVER!" I screamed at them, who immediately jumped back into the car and hid their entire heads from the window shield and other parts of the windows.

I raced inside the house, tearing open the door and not bothering to kick off my shoes. Flying up the stairs, I scrambled to the west wing of the house. I pushed my body to the limit until, as I ran, I was wheezing for air. My heart pounded outside of my chest painfully, and my lungs screamed for more air. But I paid the commands no heed as I tumbled into the room where I'd seen the gun. It occurred to me then that I had no plan, but I let out a soccer ball after bending down to turn the dial on my kick shoes. I kicked the ball right at the figure dressed in black without even looking to see the person's face. All I knew was one thing.

_I had to protect the ones dear to me. _

The person had turned around in surprise when I tumbled in, but I disregarded that. My soccer ball was slightly off target, but it hit the person in the stomach instead of their abdomen. Now that my vision of red was cleared, I could see who pointed their gun at me. And surprise surprise, it was no other than Belmont. Her golden platinum hair was flowing around her unconscious body and her face seemed to be torn between pain and blissful sleep.

Panting, I checked for bugs on her and weapons. Finding several, I carefully shut them off and then headed to the window. I threw it open just as my three guests were half way to the door. "Hey!" I called to them. Their attention snapped up to me and I made an 'x' with my arms. "Go back."

They stayed where they were and I searched the room for any other bugs. Finding six, I stuffed them into my pockets. I then proceeded with the hallways in my house, finding seventeen. I sighed, finding a plastic bag to put them all in. I traveled through the entire house finding about seven to eight bugs in one room, and then in my living room, close to twenty. In the basement, I found four. The library seemed to have the most bugs, finding almost fifty. To be safe, I searched the hidden library, relieved that I found none. My kitchen had been bugged very little, with only three, and my dining room with twenty seven. I checked my attic, happy that I found none. Finally, I searched my bedroom, finding almost seventy bugs in all.

'_WTF_.'

Sighing, I dropped the four plastic bags onto the living room table and went back to my three guests. I hadn't noticed how much time had passed, but it was already close to sun down. The three were seeming to play cards on the porch together, laughing at several of Hattori's mistakes. I checked the porch for bugs too.

"Oh god damn it! _Thirty five?!_" I snapped holding them all in my hands. "You guys can come in now." I stalked into the house, the three following.

"We need some explainin' Ku-Ko-Conan." Hattori stuttered, Hakuba jabbed an elbow into his rib.

"Oh that?" I asked grinning. "That was nothing." I rolled my eyes. "Just attempted assassination. Nothing new." I shrugged, adding the thirty five into another bag.

"What?!" Hakuba and Kaito exclaimed, Hattori face palmed in annoyance.

"Which one dis time?" He asked.

"Belmont of course." I grinned.

"Where?"

"West wing. Last bedroom. Probably awake by now... But she does have the decency not to intrude when I have guests. Though this time was inevitable. She didn't know."

Hattori pointed at the bugs. "How many?"

"Two hundred and fifty seven." I replied automatically. "Over seventy in my bedroom."

"Gawd." Hattori sighed as he face palmed again. "Oh well. Let's to hang out in the library!" He said cheerfully, leading the way.

Hakuba and Kaito stood there and gawked. "Better if you don't know." I said simply. "Come on." A warm smile stretched over my face as they seemed to snap out of their reverie.

Once inside the library, Hakuba's eyes widened. "Oh my-" he stopped himself. "You have a ladder..." Was all he could say.

I pointed to the right walls. "Sherlock Holmes. Every single one of them. Including some unpublished." Hakuba gasped softly, eyes bugging out of his sockets. Then he was at the wall in a flash. I chuckled.

"Can I see the other library?" Kaito purred into my ear. I shivered involuntarily.

"S-sure." I stuttered. "No one step into the middle of the floor!" I warned, already skipping over to other side of the library. I quickly followed the procedures to open the hidden room. The floor was soon rumbling.

"Bloody hell!" Hakuba squawked in surprise, pressing himself against the bookshelf.

I chuckled at the British term. Turning to Kaito, I spoke. "It's all yours." I smiled. He shot down the marble steps and I looked down to see him picking up a book on the couch. Probably one he'd been reading. He looked up at me once He was laying comfortably on the couch, winked, and blew a kiss. Which led to my very pink face and a bubble of laughter from him.

"What's down there?" Hakuba asked, suddenly beside me. I flinched.

"It's called the Library of a Thousand Riddles." I replied. "Each book holds fifty riddles until there was a thousand in here. He seems to like it down here."

"Are you nuts?" Hakuba hissed. "If he was Kaitou KID, wouldn't you just be helping him?"

"No physical, undeniable evidence." I said hardly. "So there's no reason not to comply with his wishes."

"I give up." Hakuba said tiredly.

I grinned boyishly before another thought hit me. "If you'll excuse me guys, I have another guest to attend to. Enjoy yourselves until I come back. We could probably start dinner at that point. If anyone knows how to cook." I shrugged helplessly.

Then I was out of the large library, thankful for the sound-proof effect. "Belmont." I said sternly.

She sauntered out of the shadows, already walking to the living room. "Two scoops of sugar please." Was all she said.

I rolled my eyes, already walking to the kitchen and turning on the coffeemaker. In a few moments, the coffee was pouring into the cup on its own. It wasn't as though I wouldn't be sure to upgrade to the newest coffeemakers around. I loved this one, from America, that was all in the excitement. Coffee from this baby was perfect. My own black coffee was in a mug shortly after and I was cheerfully whistling as I walked into the living room.

Belmont's eyes widened when she saw the top of her coffee. "Oh my gawd. You have THAT coffeemaker?" She breathed, seemingly won over.

"I take nothing but the best coffee. I'm hurt that you would think otherwise." I smiled brightly. "I'm also hurt that you would point a gun at my loved ones Belmont." I sipped the coffee without waking a sound, allowing my eyes to stare at her over the rim of my tall and slender mug. Hers was identical, with a wide rim that made the cup seem vase like.

"Oh no." She blinked in shock. "I didn't point at your loved ones Silver Bullet-kun. But at you, so that you could come and see me right away without any _distractions_." The last word was stretched a bit. "Did you find all of them?" She asked.

"Two hundred and fifty seven bugs is quite a lot Belmont." I chuckled. "Does the B.O think something is going on here?"

"They believe Shinichi Kudou is alive." She chuckled. "Even though I've strayed them from the idea by keeping an eye of the media. I've been making sure nothing about him gets printed. But just in case, I asked your Phantom to protect the ghost by protecting you." She continued to speak lightly, and I enjoyed playing this act.

"That's kind of you, and unexpected in both things. Unfortunately, I plan to keep my Phantom out of all business with you. Similar to what I did with Angel." I informed her, drinking a bit more of my coffee.

"Oh yes, I heard you two had a break up. Was it becoming a sibling relationship?" She asked, downing some of her coffee.

"I can't remember it ever becoming the true love you see in fairytales." I replied calmly.

"I want to give you a few tips." She said suddenly. "About the Phantom."

"Oh?" I asked. "What would that be?" Allowing real surprise to show on my face. "It's unexpected that you would know anything about the Phantom in the first place. But before you continue... Can I ask about the price for this information?"

"I was going to ask for the Phantom's monocle or even for Sherry's antidote to Apotoxin4869." Belmont admitted. I froze in the middle of bringing the cup to my lips. "_Ohh nooo_. Don't tell me she hasn't developed an antidote for you yet?" She groaned.

"There seems to be no possible antidote..." I said quietly. "Two of the most needed supplies are extinct."

The woman put her cup down on the table. "What are they?" She asked, her tone stiff.

I peered up at her and then at her glare and tight grip on the coffee mug. "Lemur brain serum, and Bloodied Rose of the Amazon nectar." I murmured.

"I see." She said in that same tone. "Anyway, the price I'm asking for now... Is the same coffeemaker as yours." She grinned with only a hint of teeth.

I threw back my head in laughter. "Done deal. Come back in a few days. I'll leave it in the same room you were sleeping in. No bugs from me or you." I promised.

"Since I don't know much, I've asked for a small price. Apparently, it's too late to try to protect the Phantom. He's been involved with a separate branch of ours since the beginning. He deals with a man named Snake, an idiot looking for an immortal jewel. It's probable that the Phantom is searching for the same thing. Snake killed KID the first too." She said quickly, probably noticing my shaking hands. Belmont quickly took the cup out of my hands before I could drop it. "Silver Bullet-kun?"

I snapped out of it. "I apologize. The information is slightly difficult to comprehend in such a sort time." I chuckled softly. "This explains a lot of everything."

Belmont set my cup back in front of me on the table. "So how's the Phantom? Did he deliver my letter to you?"

"He's doing perfectly fine. And yes, I received the letter. Haibara seems to be driving herself into a zombie phase by staying up all night and trying to find a way around the extinct ingredients. I tell her to get her sleep, but she seems bent on 'atoning for her sins'." I chatted.

"How many days has she gone without sleep at night?"

"I heard from the Hakase that she slept when they drove to Osaka, but very little. So really, she's been awake for five days straight." I sighed tiredly. "If she pushes herself to a week, I'm stunning her with my watch."

"You _should've _done that three nights ago." She scolded. "Sleep is important to her body."

I quirked an eyebrow. "_Alright_."

She sighed finishing her coffee. "Well I'm sure you're dying to go and flirt with the Phantom, so I'll leave you. I'm glad we exchanged information today Cool Guy." Then she stood. "Or should I say Cool Kid like Jodie?" She asked.

"Acting like this is_ killing _me Belmont." I whined, trying to fight back the blush on my face. "It's only my mother's training that allows me to continue this long. But I'm glad we exchanged information myself. I still have to wait until you tell me your reason for helping me correct?" I asked, after her amused look passed as I stood too.

"A little longer Cool Guy." She reassured me. "I only planned to inform you that the B.O. is onto Shinichi Kudou's lie. I'm doing my best, but perhaps you should try a little something yourself eh?" She smiled slightly and crookedly.

"Whatever. But I won't take my own death again. The Angel would fall into depression." I joked.

"Don't say that. You know that would happen. But are you willing to drive Angel into depression so can have the Phantom?" Belmont asked quietly, the air around us returning to the usual.

"I'll find a way around it. I always do Belmont. The Phantom is _mine_." I growled slightly, surprised at the possessiveness in my voice. Belmont glanced back at me in amusement. "But I won't allow someone else to die inwardly for that. Depression could lead to suicide." I said seriously.

"Oh my, don't say too much, we have a spy." Belmont warned. "I think it's the Phantom..."

"You're kidding..." I face palmed. "Kaitou?" I asked aloud.

The shadows stirred as Kaito revealed himself. "Well if it isn't _Araide-Sensei_!" He chuckled. "We met not too long ago am I correct?" He slid down the banister of the stairs as he approached, landing beside me.

Belmont flashed a slight grin. "Of course, but not in disguise this time." She walked around him before smiling down at me. "He must be great in bed, yes?" She smirked.

I felt my entire body flush a deep red. "I-I-I don't know..." I admitted. "I'm eight Belmont." I warned.

"Please Cool Guy. I said it was too late." She rolled her eyes. "From a bug I put into the beetle next door, Sherry gave her consent when you fell asleep earlier."

I lightly punched her arm in contained anger. "I thought you said you'd leave her alone..."

"I am. I was just checking up on Apotoxin's status, though they don't talk inside the car. She's so paranoid." Belmont smirked. "Well Phantom," she nodded at Kaito. "Cool Guy, I'm off. Don't forget about my price for information."

"My price remains the same. Conan Edogawa knows nothing about you or Kudou Shinichi." I calmly stated, feeling that the truth about my identity might as well be blown to Kaito. "Good night Belmont, thanks for stopping by." I said as she walked out of the door. "And next time, don't point a gun! I won't have to use the soccer ball."

She waved as she pulled her well hidden Harley from the bushes and kick started it. "Good luck Silver Bullet-kun!" She called, riding away.

I closed the door and sighed, looking up into Kaito's expectant face. "She was colder when I met her."

"She's always cold. We were only acting like friends today because of my new coffeemaker." I sighed. "I'm sure you're waiting for an explanation, but I'll explain later tonight. First, we have to get Hattori and Hakuba to get tired and then to bed. It's still nine-thirty, so we might have to play with them for an hour or so."

"Tantei-kun, is this explanation about your secret?" He asked suddenly, his voice quiet.

"_It is_ my secret." I replied looking back a him. His hands were behind his back and his feet together. I could see the crown of his head due to the fact that his head was lowered as he stared at the wooden floor. "Why?"

"I don't wanna know yet." He whispered uncertainly.

I froze. "Why? It makes everything easier... _everything_." I whispered back.

"That's tempting... But I guess your detective skills are rubbing off on me. I don't want the answer in front of me just yet. I'm close to figuring it out on my own, and have been working on it too long to leave it now." He explained.

"Kaito..." I croaked sadly. "I understand. It's like reading a murder book but backwards. Answer first, clues second." I smiled softly.

"More like getting the answer to a riddle before reading it." He replied.

I made him crouch down to my height, where I held his face in my hands. I looked into his violet eyes sadly for a moment, drinking the emotions swirling inside them. Tipping his head upwards slightly, I planted a chaste kiss on the right side of his face, almost touching the corners of his lips. A flaring blush danced on my cheeks as I pulled away, gazing once more into his eyes for a moment.

"For a thief, you sure do act like a detective." I said, letting my feet carry me on their own as I walked away to the library. It then that I began allowing the shock to hit me.

For the first time ever... I wanted to tell someone my identity, but they rejected the thought, even though they wanted to know. Dejectedly, I walked into the library, where the other two detectives were bickering hotly about which fictional detective character was better. I paid no mind to their bickering as I climbed up one of my ladders and walked on top of the bookshelves.

"What are you doing Conan?!" Kaito gasped watching intently as I jumped for a ledge above the shelves. It was white and thick slab of wood that stuck out of the wall, sanded throughly and painted.

I ignored him as I followed the ledge until I was directly across the room from the door. It was there that I knocked on the wood roughly, until a part of the panel gave way. Determinedly, I pulled on the handle inside and a slight shaking resounded throughout the library. Clear glass stairs came out of the wall not five feet away from me, leading to what appeared (from below) to be the beginning of the glass ceiling. But no. As you climbed the stairs, the wall would jab outward, until there was a flat surface at the very top of the wall. There, remained something close to a window seat, but on the floor. It was clearly made for lying down and looking up. Which was perfect since it was a fairly clear night. High up was close to my favorite places to be, but the top was the best.

Scattered around me were bits and pieces of my memories. Pictures, drawings, writings, books, trinkets, souvenirs, and other toys from my childhood were lying around, as though suddenly left behind. I only sat in the midst of it all, literally seeing the life of Kudou Shinichi. Never once had I come up here as Conan until now. I sighed, beginning to organize the place. Setting souvenirs and trinkets against the glass of the high dome, taping pictures and drawings on the one section of wall to my left, and stacking books and writings in different piles, sticking them against the picture wall. In that short two minutes, the place was clean, and I was lying down on the cushion waiting.

It was beautifully patterned. A red jewel took up almost the entire background, while a black wing and a white wing were squashed together as though they were a pair. Next to the black wing was a darkly colored scythe. Next to the white wing was an upside down top hat, as though someone had decided to try to pull a bunny out of it. I blinked in shock, deciding what the symbols meant, and knowing who designed the hidden nook. Probably my father. Dark wings and scythe: the Shinigami-kun... AKA detective. White wings and top hat: a magician... AKA thief. Gawd dad. When did you make this?

Deciding that it probably applied more to me and KID than Dad and KID the first, I lied down on it again, staring up into the stars in deep thought. I stripped myself of my bow tie, shoes, glasses, and watch, trying to grasp the fragments of Shinichi left inside of myself.. Even if only for a moment. Just to make sure he was still alive. Because honestly, I was losing myself in the shadows of Edogawa Conan. I'd hoped that Kai would be the one to pull back the curtains and be another to accept me as Shinichi in this form. Not just the Hakase, Haibara, Hattori, and Belmont (who over the two years, had become strangely like a mother/older sister figure in my life).

I had about two minutes of blank peace until Kai had decided to join me. I heard his steps on the glass. "Tantei-kun?" He called quietly. And suddenly, I longed for him to call me Shinichi. Even Shin-chan would be accepted. Yet I clamped my mouth shut.

"Right up here KID. Come and take a look." I said warmly, inviting the thief to see the place. Kaito was soon beside him, and a gasp of awe escaped his lips. "Amazing right? And completely hidden to the eyes below." I pointed to a square on the dome. "It's a door." I said.

Kaito poked at it, and then pushed it gently until it cracked open. "I could use this..." He murmured to himself.

I deadpanned. "Can't you use the door like everyone else?" I asked, eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

KID just flashed an irritating grin. "Of course not!"

"The stairs wouldn't always be there." I pointed out, knowing it changed nothing.

"So? I've jumped higher than that!" He laughed. After a moment, he began to stare around the nook. "I suppose you have a fancy name for here too?"

"Yukiko-oneesama wasn't here to name it. So for now it's Nanashi (no name). Unfortunately, she doesn't know of it's existence. Or she would kill herself trying to get up here." I informed him, staring up at the stars more.

"What's all this stuff?" He asked.

"Bits and pieces of Shinichi-niichan's memories." I shrugged. "His favorite books each year, writings, pictures, souvenirs from his parents as they traveled, trinkets from little stores Ran-neechan dragged him off too when he was a kid. Even some poor drawings of things he saw that caught his interest, though I can't even tell what they are anymore." I explained.

Kaito hummed in response, picking up a few drawings. Then he froze as he looked at one. "O my..." He clamped a hand over his mouth.

I crawled over to him and looked. "What is it?" I asked, confused. It was a man I'd seen in this house a lot. Was a magician, and often bought a shiny red jewel to brag about, even though it hung around his neck on a chain carelessly. It looked like a second grader's drawing... Though I knew I drew that at age nine... A third grader.

"Oyaji...?" He breathed, his hands shaking as he carefully removed the picture from the wall.

I froze. "Eh..?"

"Th-this is my dad... And his most prized jewel ever stolen as Kaitou KID; Pandora..." Kai fingered the childish rhombus colored a deep red. "I didn't think our families knew each other..."

'Me neither.' I thought. But I made a mental note to ask mom and dad next time I had them on the phone. "That's nice." I hummed, not wanting to dig into Kaito's past this way. "I forgot something I promised to do." I said suddenly. "I'll be back." I promised, already down the glass stairs.

With a jump off the third of last step, I was on the white ledge again, running along it until I had to jump onto the bookshelves. Then I was scrambling down the ladder, pausing once I was off to stare at Hakuba and Heiji, who were playing chess.

"Hey guys! Who's winning?" I asked, walking over to them.

Hakuba surprisingly pointed at Hattori. "Him." He said stiffly.

"You bet'ch ya." He smirked. "Kudou, did ya jus' come tumblin' down 'ere from da glass ceilin'?" He asked.

"Yeah. Just checking out the view for a moment. I was able to handle Belmont you know. She's gone, but I owe her a coffeemaker for swapping information. In return, she's watching the media for accident slip ups of Kudou Shinihi being alive." I said, ignoring Hakuba's curious look.

"Oh great!" Hattori exclaimed as Hakuba claimed another of his pawns. "That's perfect Kudou. What'ch ya doin'?"

I shrugged and smiled. "Getting my violin." I grinned happily. "Can you play Hakuba?"

The half-Brit shook his head. "Music is not my forte."

"It's not Kudou's either, jus' listenin' from 'is singin' 'n' ya'd be sure. He's tone deaf ya know, but he plays da violin like it's music from heaven." Hattori complimented.

"Shut up Hattori. That's not true." I blushed slightly a his compliments.

"Stop bein' so modest, it's out a character." He snickered.

"Hel-lo~" I waved a hand vertically to gesture a my physical appearance. "Trapped in a child's body~ modesty needed." I skipped away with that, and made a mad dash for the attic.

As soon as I was up there, I stopped to steady my breathing, and locate the violin case. It sat on the the dark chocolate brown table, just the way I'd left it the last time I played. I soon had the entire case down the attic stairs as I pushed passed the painting. For a moment, I knew it was myself, Kai, and his father, leaving one of my parents to have been taking the picture. And that wasn't display for the grown man. It was his full regalia. I left the thought inside a file in my brain, remembering to clean out my growing mental cabinet. I was running away before I knew it.

I panted as I entered the library, finding my guests for the night already waiting on the couch for me. Though Kaito obviously had the drawing in his breast pocket. I let the library doors close as I walked to the table near them, dropping the heavy case on top. Quickly, I spun the new code to unlock it, and carefully lifted up the kid of the case to reveal the violin.

"Rich kids." Kaito scoffed. "It had to be a Stradivarius."

I grinned cheekily at him. "Only the best for the best right?" Concentrating on my task, I gently lifted the violin out of the case, glad that I had dusted it last time. I picked up the bow.

"What will you be playing?" Hakuba asked gently.

"When a Single Day Changes a Lifetime." I answered automatically. Already setting the instrument into position. I stepped away slightly from the group to avoid harming their ears.

I took a breath and closed my eyes before beginning the first few notes, gently. The soft notes began to string themselves together until a happy tune was projecting through the violin. It was as though it was complimenting the beginning a bright summer morning. The notes continued as they got slightly exciting, expressing how I felt when Ran had reminded me that I was supposed to take her to Tropical Land. Then the excitement grew as I remembered how much fun we had until the murder in the roller-coaster. The music at that point grew slightly dark and depressed as though I was honoring the dead. Then the music was slightly happier as it expressed the end of that phase. The music slowly dropped into the feelings of suspicion, expressing how I felt towards the Men in Black when they appeared.

The suspense in the air grew heavier around us as I remembered that transaction, and the music began to simmer with slight anger. The next thing I knew I made the music suddenly stop after a fast climb in notes, expressing the knock out Gin had treated me to. Next was the slow and hazy music that showed how I felt as Gin made me sallow Apotoxin4869. Steadily, the song began to bubble with a flaming pain, almost lashing out at all of our ears and minds. Until it reached its peak and I cut the music off to an eerie silence, reminding myself how I was unconscious due to the unbearable pain. Soft and hazy music came from the violin as I showed my guests that I had awoken to police men and flashlights. The music quickly shifted into the panic I felt when they said little boy.

I kept playing, even as I realized that my fingers were raw and tender. I wanted to indirectly let Kaito know what happened to me. Music about finding Agasa-Hakase, Ran, and turning into Edogawa Conan poured itself from my heart. Then peaceful music followed as I found myself getting used to the life of a child. Until Haibara came along. The music grew slightly frightened and suspenseful as I struggled to trust Haibara, who began to make an antidote. Then I expressed the utter joy I had after trying the first temporary antidote, the music returning to the same as the beginning. Then it shifted back into the music of Edogawa Conan after a heart-breaking opening act.

For a while, it continued, until the B.O attacked me relentlessly. I expressed my feelings of vengeance towards the B.O., making the music angry but calm as I thought out a plan. Soon, the music returned to Edogawa Conan's theme, before suddenly landing myself in the midst of KID heists. I expressed my competitiveness of the games and magic tricks, even my hopes for vengeance for that cruel trick on Ran. The music rolled on showing my feelings developing until I had transformed back into Kudou Shinichi, to give Ran an answer, knowing that it was probably the last time.

The music suddenly showed utter despair and detachment as Haibara gave me the news upon the failure of Apotoxin's possible antidote. It slowly perked up again as I began to accept Edogawa Conan's name as my real one. Finally, the music returned to the loving one that KID had made me write by attending his heists, and gently cheering me back up. It returned to simple notes as the unfinished song finished with a few long notes.

Panting, I sunk to my knees, noticing that my finger tips had started to bleed a while back. I checked the violin, happy to find that none of the blood got anywhere. The room suddenly snapped to life with a huge round of applause, making me jump in surprise. Tears glittered in the eyes of the British and Osakan detectives, but Kaito only stared in wonder as he clapped.

"Did ya write dat one?" Hattori asked as the clapping calmed.

"Yes." I answered.

"Don't tell me da entire beginnin' was about Tropical Land and _**them**_."

"It was. And with the other feelings I had afterwards up until now." I answered.

"So the music at the end wasn't the ending at all?" Hakuba asked.

"The music actually stops abruptly since I was interrupted when writing it, so I added a few notes to ease it into an ending." I answered.

"You're bleeding." Kaito gasped, seeing my fingertips. I rose shakily (almost), and he rushed forward to help me up without touching the floor. "Conan, you should've wore something to protect your fingertips... You won't be able to take band aids off for a while. I'll go get them." Kaito said as he let me sit in a chair.

When he was gone Hakuba was free to ask questions. "Was the song about your shrinking?"

"The very first notes were the beginning of the day when I turned into Conan. It gets slightly excited from later being reminded that I was going to Tropical Land with Ran on a date." I explained. "Then it gets slow to honor the murdered person on the final ride that night: a roller coaster. Suspicious because I saw someone suspicious and followed. Angry because of what I saw. Hazy and soft from being knocked unconscious. Then the feeling of that pill slipping down my throat in my sub-conscious state."

"After that comes the pain of the transformation, hazy music from more unconsciousness, and the soft music of becoming Edogawa Conan. Then I found someone who could help, but I couldn't trust for a while. There's utter joy afterwards for the first temporary antidote made in a capsule form. Not Paikaru." I briefly glare at Hattori.

"You changed back because of alcohol?" Hakuba chuckled gently.

"I had a cold. Then Hattori barged in, demanding that me challenges me to see who was the better detective. He bought Paikaru over and unwittingly poured a seven year old the crap, temporarily returning me to my body. It was something with my immune system."

"I see." Hakuba commented, urging me to continue.

"Then comes the part where I have to lie to Ran again and reappear by her side as Conan. Next, something happened with the people who drugged me, making that suspenseful music. Once it ended, the competitive music comes from being suddenly thrown into the world of Kaitou KID, even vengeance for the cruel trick he played on Ran that time."

"'N' da next part was even more depressin'." Hattori commented. "It was angsty."

I snickered. "Because that was about the last time I knew I wasn't able to take anymore temporary antidotes. My immune system had built a resistance. I only have one more try until I can't take anymore, so we're saving that final chance for the finished antidote." I explained, watching Hattori's reaction.

"What?!" He gasped. "Ya can't go back?" The Osakan asked, completely bewildered.

I shook my head. "Unless the final thing works. The music begins to perk up as I accept the fact that I may have to relive my childhood under another name. Then well..." I blushed and fidgeted. "The final part's..."

"'Bout da person yer fallin' for." Hattori finished. "I dink we all know who dat is. But da question is... Are ya willin' ta tell 'im da truth 'bout yerself? And drag 'im inta dis mess?"

"Oh don't worry." I shrugged. "I was going to tell him tonight since he's met Belmont twice now. She talked too much about my situation, dropping subtle hints. Yet he rejected the idea since he's been working to figure it out himself for a while. It's ironic. It's the first time the roles were swapped." I chuckled. "As for dragging him into this, Belmont said it's too late, he's involved with another branch, searching for something important. She even gave me the bastard's name who just..." I pretended to flick on a lighter near the end of the table cloth. "Now he's gone."

Kaito chose the moment to stroll in, first aid kit in hands. Gently, he used antibiotics to clean my tender skin, which had me hissing like a cat. Then band aids were soon around my fingers.

"Don't put _any_ pressure on the pads of your fingers. Or else you'll live to see your own personal hell." He warned, straight face on.

I smiled briefly. "Yes Kaito-okaasan." I teased, flashing a taunting grin at him before examining my fingers. "So. Who can cook for us?" I asked, searching everyone's faces.

"Yeah, 'cause if ya do it, we'll wither up 'n' die. Yer cookin' stinks man." Hattori said. "How da hell did ya live 'ere on yer own fer so many years?"

"Shut up. Your cooking is no better." I snapped." Remember that case with the magicians and the mirrored room? We were cutting up a cucumber!"

"We both failed dat time."

"Didn't I say 'for a detective, finding a connection is good'? I already knew I was bad, but you didn't. At least I'm good at baking."

"Okay! I wasn't volunteerin'! Jus' find someone ta cook yer damn food!" Hattori exclaimed.

"Right." I snapped back to task and turned to the Ekoda duo who were watching us and gaping. "Do either of you know how to cook?"

"I'm still a beginner, since I usually don't cook for myself." Hakuba replied. Then he turned to Kai. "But Kuroba, you're almost always living alone. Don't you know how to cook?" Hakuba asked.

Kaito shrugged. I sighed heavily, and Hattori followed. "Just because he lives alone doesn't mean he can cook." I said.

Hattori deadpanned. "We jus' went over dat." He rolled his eyes, putting a hand on my head. "Fer a detective, ya don't pay ta much attention."

I growled and he took his hand away. "Actually, I can cook. I thought you knew that Conan. Didn't I make pancakes a while back?"

I froze. "Oh yeah! But it doesn't mean you can cook dinner."

"True. But I can." He replied. "How does pasta sound?" Kai asked, bending to my height with a smile.

"Pasta..." I hummed. "Alright, but I have to search the pantry for the macaroni. We stocked up a few days ago with butter and sauce right Hattori?"

"Yeah. We got dat done."

"Alright. So guys, you two just sit and relax a while longer, Kaito and I will figure out the dinner." I planned. Everyone nodded, and Kaito and I were soon out the library doors.

"Gawd that was so confusing. It took way too long to decide who makes dinner." Kaito commented. "And you used to live here alone?"

"Yes. Almost three or four years back." I confirmed.

"What happened to Shinichi?"

"He was here." I said quietly, before turning right into the pantry hall. Kaito thankfully continued to the kitchen, albeit the confused look on his face.

'That was probably one of the biggest clues I've given him.' I thought. 'Right after having two different excuses for vacation and knowing Belmont.' I thought about how out of character we were acting, and thought that she was into a new craze. However, our relationship did get to that point over almost three years.

I found the macaroni, and some sauce. I face palmed. "Sauce doesn't go in the pantry, it goes in the refrigerator." I mumbled, but took it with me anyway. Soon I was running down the halls and to Kai, who already had placed a large pot of water on the stove. "The salt is right above you on the right." I said, placing the supplies on the counter.

"Okay." He replied cheerfully, reaching up and getting it. "Hey, tell me about your life when you were living here." He said after sitting down on one of the tall seats (you see them at the bar a lot) next to me.

"I lived here about three years ago. I went to school and I knew Ran and Sonoko. My parents were over seas for a long time, leaving me behind. Don't get me wrong, I made them." I said when I saw his face. "I didn't want to make friends and then just say good bye a few weeks later. I love Japan, it's my home. To me it doesn't matter if I'm involved in about 33% of the murders here every year. " I shrugged and put placed my head on my forearms on the counter. Then I put a hand to the back of my head. "There's rumors about this cowlick." I snickered. "People think it's an antenna that unconsciously leads me to cases."

Kaito burst into a fit of giggles. "Really?"

"Yes." I nodded, smiling brightly. "I was in the newspapers a lot back then, but now I ask them to keep my name out of the papers."

"Why?" He asked softly, getting up to place the macaroni and salt into the pot.

I turned in my chair. "I was arrogant back then. Prideful that I was one of the most known detectives in Japan. My face was in all papers. Now I'm just trying to protect myself from people like Belmont. Not that she's bad, she's one of the few people helping me swap information. But there are others who would want nothing else but to see my dead body by their own hands." I said cheerfully. "Protecting myself in the papers is how I make them believe that I'm dead."

"Is that why you said you weren't going to fake your own death again to Belmont-san?" He asked. I cringed at the 'San'.

"Not 'San'. Belmont is her codename. She doesn't need an honorific." I shivered. "But yes. If I fake my death, they'll realize that I was alive and probably find and kill anyone near me." I said quietly.

"I see." He hummed. "Do you know how to make the sauce?"

"Yes." I perked up, getting a frying pan and the butter. I walked over to the counter drawers and pulled out a wooden spoon.

Soon I pushing butter across the surface of the frying pan using the wooden spoon, but day dreaming. Kaito snapped me out of it by being the one to pour the sauce on the pan. I yelped in surprise, and he snickered.

"You can't be day dreaming like that Tantei-kun." He chided.

"Shut up." I snapped, angrily pushing the sauce around. Sooner or later, the color should change to more of an orangish shade. I was glad when it did. I turned off the plate I was using and sat back down on the stool.

"Are you tired?" Kaito asked softly.

I made an uncommitted noise in my throat. "I have to make up a week's worth of jet lagging from my vacation." I lied smoothly. The only reason why I was truly tired was probably from the events going on. "I hope I can get some sleep tonight... I miss my room."

"Your room? Which room did you used to use?" He asked, dumping the sauce into the finished macaroni.

"Shinichi's." I answered automatically. "It was most like how I would decorate it myself."

"Eh? Then where did Shinichi sleep?" He asked, totally confused. His hands were placing the pasta into four bowls while he spoke.

I paused. Heh. This'll be good. "In his room of course." I said in a monotone. I hurriedly left the room, holding back a snicker and counting the seconds until a reaction.

"_**EHHHH?!**_"Kaito howled. I burst into laughter, already running to the library to get Hattori and Hakuba.

In a few moments, I breathlessly opened the doors, wheezing for air in my lungs. "Guys... Dinner's ready..." I couldn't hold it anymore, and fell to my knees in laughter.

Tears squeezed out of my eyes. "Kudou? What da hell are ya laughin' 'bout dis time?" Hattori asked, helping me up.

"Kaito asked me where I slept when I lived here. I told him in Shinichi's room. Then he asked where Shinichi slept..." I explained.

"You told him that Shinichi-kun slept in his room so now he thinks you two slept together..." Hakuba deadpanned. "Shinichi-kun, you're evil to those who don't know you're identity."

I gave him a mischievous smirk. "Course. That's how I'm able to live as Conan Edogawa. If you're going to drive yourself nuts, take revenge on the others around you!" I cheerfully explained in my childish voice. Hakuba stared.

"Kudou, tell meh somethin', " Hattori began. I turned my attention to the bronze detective. "Is da food edible?"

I snickered. "It looked delicious to me, but that doesn't mean it won't taste bad."

"Hah..." Hattori face palmed. "Let's get dis damn ding over with." He said, power walking to the dining room.

When Hattori was far ahead, Hakuba spoke. "He has no faith in others."

"You should gamble him and see who wins. He'll take you on." I smirked.

Hakuba stopped walking. "You're right." And then he was running to catch up with Hattori. "Hattori-kun! Wait up!" He called in his strange accent.

I began to continue to the dining room, but stopped when I reached the stairs. 'Maybe I should decide everyone's rooms before dinner so there's no confusion.' I thought, climbing up the stairs, hands in pockets.

The wooden stairs creaked in protest towards the middle of them and I furrowed my eyebrows. I knew the stairs were getting old, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to get new wood until I was thirty. I sighed and continued up the stairs. I decided that Hattori would continue to use his guest room, after seeing that he still left his stuff lying around inside. And really, there was no reason to change where he was sleeping. Following down the halls, I found another spare room that strangely reminded me of Hakuba, so I left him to that one. It was garnet colored and Victorian styled, so it fit perfectly. I hesitated, wondering which room to give Kaito.

'I know we have that white room...' I thought. 'We used it for Kaito's father all the time when he slept over on weekends.' Picking up my pace, I crashed into the room. 'MOM!' I whined mentally.

The room was decorated in all types of white and blue furniture. There was even a desk with left over gadgets against the right wall. A bed was rammed into the corner between a window and wall. But all around was pictures of Kaitou KID.

'How did I never see this room?' I asked myself. 'Oh I know, I must've blocked it out or the room was always locked.'

I left the rooms wide open and opened each of their windows, so the rooms could air out. Everyone likes going to sleep in a nicely temperatured room. Then I climbed back down stairs and made my way to the dining room. Each of them had already started to eat but Hattori was saying something.

"I'm tellin' ya dat he doesn't like ta sit at da head of da table Kuroba! He neva tells meh why, but he always sits dere!" Hattori pointed at da seat next to Hakuba. However, he looked passed it and at me who stood looking on a everything. "Ah Cha!" Hattori face palmed. "Now ya've done it."

I silently walked over to the head of the table, staring at the food completely ready. I sighed and put a hand to my forehead, before slipping into the seat carefully. I shut my eyes for a moment. "Sit down you two." I said in a firm tone. "You are at the dinner table are you not?" I raised an eyebrow as my fingers laced together and I put my elbows on the table. My head rested on the back of my hands, holding my head up.

"Now he's gonna get cranky." Hattori huffed.

"I've never seen an argument like that put to a stop by a question." Hakuba breathed, trying out his macaroni. "Hattori-kun, you owe me ten bucks."

"Damn it!" Hattori swore, then he saw my annoyed look. "I mean...a-ah..." I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

"Ya get yer freaky 'you're at da dinner table' look from yer mother jus' so ya know." He pointed out.

"Childhood." I shrugged, trying the pasta myself. I frowned. "I over cooked the sauce."

"Yer doin' it again." Hattori sighed.

"Eh?" I asked.

"It's da same in music. Ya got perfect pitch but can't hold a tune. In cookin', ya got a great tongue, but suck at actually makin' da stuff." He pointed out. "Things are flipped flopped fer ya."

I continued eating, choosing not to argue with the truth. "I went and picked out rooms for everyone to use." I commented to break the silence.

"Really?" Hakuba asked. "How many rooms do you have?"

"I haven't counted." I grinned cheekily. "Plus the west wing is almost never used. This side of the house is basically all I know about." I shrugged. "My parents always said to never go to the west wing unless in emergency."

"Like with Belmont?" Hattori and Kaito asked in sync. They gave each other weird looks.

I snickered. "Yes, like with Belmont." I rolled my eyes.

"Do you mind telling me who Belmont is?" Hakuba asked. "If Kuroba knows, I see no reason why I cannot."

I smiled briefly at him, who sat to my right. To my left, sat Hattori, and next to Hattori was Kaito. The table of course, was rectangular. "Belmont is a shady woman who gives me information about keeping my face out of the media. With a price of course. This time I have to buy her the same coffeemaker I have." I chuckled at the memory.

"I see. Was she the one pointing a gun at you?" Hakuba asked.

"It's her way of saying that 'I would like to talk to you in private please'." I said, drinking some of the water in the glass before me. I nearly choked. "Excuse me!" I grabbed the glass and ran into the kitchen.

'So not water! So not water!' I mentally screamed. I dumped the stuff in the sink and got a different glass. Sighing with relief, I poured water into it and walked back into the dining room calmly.

"Who poured the water?" I asked innocently, sliding back into my seat.

"Heiji-kun did. Why?" Kaito answered.

I looked at Hattori, who was laughing nervously. "I don't know what you're trying to pull Hattori. Especially since it doesn't work as long as my immune system is stable." I frowned in annoyance.

"It wasn't Paikaru! I swear!" He cried. "I know ya have low tolerance fer alcohol."

"Then what was it?" I asked making sure my tone was unbelieving.

Hattori sighed. "It was water... But I spiked it with a temporary ya know what." He answered, eyeing Kaito for a moment.

I sighed sadly. "Stop worrying Hattori. I told you this is all that's happening."

Kaito stayed silent, face blank, as though not sure how to interpret the conversation, while Hakuba on the other hand, rolled his eyes. "Hattori-kun that's low."

"He wouldn't take another one even if ya begged!"

"Didn't he say he only had room for one more try? You may as well have blown it."

Poor Kaito was completely lost by now, but his eyes met mine and I gave him a reassuring smile. 'Don't worry, I'm not sick or anything.' I mouthed. Kaito seemed to sigh with relief.

'You better not be or I'd have a problem with one of my favorite critics.' He replied, eating away at his food.

"Calm down you two and finish eating." I rolled my eyes at the arguing duo. "Didn't I say it was fine? I spit it out before anything could happen."

"Gee, man. I'm sorry. We should get Sciencey 'Neechan ta check ya out fer any changes." Hattori replied, sitting down and finishing up the last of his food.

"By 'Sciencey 'Neechan' do you mean Haibara Ai?" Hakuba asked quietly.

I gave him a brief analyzing look. "She's in the same predicament, yet doesn't wish to return. Currently, she's making the temporary stuff." I waved off the subject as I finished my bowl. "Is anyone up to playing cards?" I grinned.

* * *

The table was soon cleared and dishes washed. Though the dishes were finished by Hattori for punishment. Kai and I sat in the living room together as we waited for Hakuba to come back from the bathroom and Hattori to finish the dishes.

"I don't appreciate you trying to _tempt_ me to ask for the answer of your riddle, Tantei-kun." Kai tilted his head to the side and smiled, speaking quietly and slowly.

I smirked. "I _warned_ you that everything would be easier. You need nerves of steel now so that you don't ask." I replied, crossing my legs in the arm chair I was sitting in and leaning my head in my left hand.

Kai looked away, mumbling to himself. "I've almost got it." He said suddenly. "The pieces are there, but they must be arranged correctly." Kaito looked me in the eye briefly before staring off into space at his hands.

"Beware of red herrings Kaito." I warned, smirking still and watching him fondly. "A criminal will always throw in red herrings to lead themselves away from suspicion."

Kai's eyes flickered to look at me for a moment. Then back at his hands in thought. I could see him rearranging the pieces of the puzzle in his mind, but something didn't fit, because his face screwed up in frustration. I laughed as he came over and rested his head next to my knees in the arm chair.

"You're so difficult Tantei-kun."

"Same with you Kosodoro-san." I replied, staring ahead and not looking down at the thief.

"You know my identity, but I have no clue about yours. I don't see how I'm complicated anymore."

"I do. Especially with some very important information I received from Belmont." I replied. Kaito looked up at me. "It was an interesting statement about a jewel, a snake, and a thief. Though she knew no details."

I felt Kaito go ridged underneath me, and I laughed. "What did she say?" He asked, squirming nervously.

"It's rare for you to lose control of your poker face." I commented and Kaito scowled. "However, she said that there was a Phantom who searched for a jewel that granted immortality. However, the Phantom was killed by a snake. So the second Phantom is searching for the same jewel, racing against the snake to find it." I answered. "I believe that might be the basic run down of the story."

Kaito sighed and nodded. "Who is Belmont?" He asked quietly.

"Ah, there is a question I can't answer. You have to figure it out on your own." I smiled as Hattori and Hakuba returned. "What game are we playing?" I asked.

"Go Fish!" Hattori exclaimed.

"NOOOO!" Kai screamed. I threw back my head and howled with laughter.

* * *

End chapter.

Okay. Your eyeballs are probably dead by now. I'm so sorry! I wanted to just finally finish Conan's vacation, but we'll have to do that next chapter! I realize there's a lot going on in this chapter, so I'm sorry if you're confused. Just tell me where you're confused and I'll explain it.

Next, I apologize for making the whole violin part so long. But I did it because there aren't too many fics that express how Shinichi/Conan feels when he plays. The title of the song sucks, I know. And there's no such thing.

Third, I know the part with Belmont/Vermouth was slightly confusing, but it's super important for later. Also because it was funny and give our clueless Kai another hint at Conan's identity.

Fourth, I apologize for making this entire two week period so damn long. Honestly, I don't like how it became longer than I hoped. I actually wrote this chapter out twice (which is part of the reason why it took so long) and in the first version, Kai found out Conan's identity. But I was screaming at it because it sucked... *sighs tiredly*

Fifth and final, no you did not miss Haibara telling Conan that he only had one chance left with this temporary antidote. I started the fic so that everything began the night AFTER she told him the news. Just because I didn't want to start this fic off TOO sad.

I made sure we had some fun with the Goshou Boys so I hoped you liked this chapter! Especially Hattori and Hakuba arguing or the time Hattori was going to drive. Or the time Hattori and Conan were arguing about cooking. Heh.

So that's it from me!

~CrescentMoonSpirit

* * *

Guest: I know! Run Conan! Thanks though, for reading and telling me what you thought! Are you happy that I complied with your wishes? Hahaha!

Btw, there's this really awesome artist on deviantart, who draws KaiCon or ConKai a lot! And I saw this one and died! Check it out!

Link: kyunyo. deviantart art /i-hate-you -349379103 just copy and paste into browser, remove spaces, and you're ready to go.

I'M NOT KIDDING WHEN I SAID I WAS CRYING. IF YOU ARE A KAICON FAN, CHECK IT OUT!


	9. Chapter 9: Revealation

Chappie Nine!

Wow! Look at how far we've gotten guys! I know it's been a while, but I'm up for updating and spending time with my favorite pair. Shin&Kai! So expect some KaiCon today! Yay! Enjoy reading!

Hattori blinked at Kaito's reaction from playing his favorite game: Go Fish. The teenage magician had howled and hid behind the couch. Now Conan was trying to coax him out with a dessert promise. The half-Brit beside him blinked in surprise.

"I'm guessing they've been through this before..." Hakuba murmured as Conan stomped a foot in annoyance before storming to the kitchen.

"What did I do wrong?" Hattori asked aloud, tilting his head to the side.

"We'll see. Just listen." A look of annoyance flashed passed Hattori's face at the order, but he complied anyway.

Just then, Conan came storming out of the kitchen with a plate. A lava chocolate cookie was sitting underneath a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. A fork balanced across the plate as Conan held it in front of Kaito. "Kaito-niichan, come out from behind the couch. We're not playing Go Fish. Right Hattori?" Conan smiled at the Osakan who smiled.

"Yeah! We're not playing that game! Who would wanna play such a childish game?" He laughed nervously. Conan nodded approvingly before turning back to Kaito.

"See? Let's play Slap Jack and test your so called luck. I also have molten lava cake." Conan let out a dazzling smile, and Kaito was under his spell after a moment.

Suddenly, the frighten man's eyes widened before he stood up. He cleared his throat to try to clear away a blush. "Ahh..." He scrambled for an excuse.

"Ichthyophobia." Conan clarified. Hakuba and Hattori immediately made 'ohhhh' faces and stored the information away for another time.

"Let's play Slap Jack!" Hakuba smiled, switching topics immediately.

Kaito stared at the half-Brit, feeling new respect for him. 'Hakuba didn't even ask a single question... Neither did Heiji-kun...' Kaito smiled warmly before joining his new found friends at the table.

"Alright boys. You've done something stupid." Kaito said seriously as he stared at the boys seated around the circle table. Tantei-kun sat beside Kaito in his right. On his left was Heiji-kun and Kaito sat in front of Hakuba.

Conan chuckled and smirked challengingly. "Oh? And what is this mistake?"

"You challenged the master of poker faces to a game of cards." Kaito smirked back.

"Ah." Hakuba gazed between the detective and thief. "And what does a poker face have to do with a game of chance? We're not playing poker or donkey." The half-Brit snorted.

"True." Kaito said. "But I also have crazy luck." He smirked at his friends before snapping his fingers and allowing cards to appear before his friends. "Three decks." He informed. "We'll have a good enough amount of cards to play with four."

"Uh uh." Hattori said immediately. "How do we know ya didn't do somethin' ta da cards?" He asked squinting at the thief accusingly.

"That's hardly fair!" Kaito protested. "I'm not some awesome magician! I'm still an amateur in magic. It took a lot of effort just to give you the cards as they are." He whined.

Hattori seemed taken aback. "Sorry sorry! Ya jus' remind me of someone dat's all." He smiled sheepishly.

"Kaitou KID?" Conan smirked, a teasing look in his eyes as he spared a glance at Kaito's reaction. The thief pouted at him and then stuck his tongue out discreetly.

"Yeah...Sorry." The Osakan slumped in his chair, feeling embarrassed.

"Let just play." Hakuba said. "Who starts?"

"Yes. Let's see if Kaito-niichan's luck is as good as he claims." Conan smirked at all of them before Kaito flipped a ten of clubs into the table.

"Go ahead... Conan-kun." Kaito snarled defensively. An electric spark flew between the two's competitive natures, and the game began.

Conan slammed a two of spades onto the table. Hakuba slammed down a seven of diamonds, and Hattori let down the ace of hearts. Soon, the four were laughing and slamming down their cards. At the least expected moment, Conan put down a jack of spades.

A tense air suddenly passed between everyone, and all hands flew to the card. A sudden poof of blue smoke told them that the card had disappeared and reappeared in the magician's hands. He smiled winningly before speaking. "You snooze you lose boys."

The game was more intense after that. Hands flashing out to place cards and then trying to slap the reappearing jacks. The fast movements stopped suddenly when Hakuba slowly placed an ace of diamonds on the growing pile of cards in the middle of the table. He glared at it like it was the very thing that let Kaitou KID get away every time.

"Bloody hell." He swore, placing down his last card. Silence reigned the table. "Well boys? Who's avenging me?"

"He went down with an honorable card..." Kaito admitted as he bit his lip. He met the gazes at the last two players in the game.

"True dat."

"Ditto..."

Silence continued as Kaito and Conan looked at Hattori expectantly. His face went into surprise the moment when he noticed their stares. "Me?" He squeaked. "Does it have ta be me?"

The other two players nodded solemnly. "Well?" Hakuba prompted. "Are you afraid you can't do it?"

Hattori glared with renewed resolve. "I've got it! Whatever! I'll do it..." He sighed.

Conan smiled and Kaito threw a wink at the shrunken detective. "Let's resume shall we?" Conan coughed, hiding a slight blush.

Kaito and Hattori grinned, but Hakuba, who was now sitting back to enjoy the game, smirked knowingly when he saw the exchange between the two. "Right." Hattori snapped before starting the game.

The game began slowly at first until Conan huffed and made the game speed up. Soon, the hands were back to flashing out and in at the table. Hattori suddenly slapped his hands down on a queen.

Silence suddenly covered the three again. "Damn." Hattori swore, having to give some of his cards to Conan and Kaito, who chuckled. "Now I have only a few cards left..." He muttered.

"Let's make that no cards left hmm?" Kaito teased.

Hattori continued the game and suddenly placed his last card down after two minutes. An eight of hearts. Conan and Kaito smirked at the result of the game.

"Now this'll be entertaining. Watch their faces when they realize they have to play against each other." Hakuba chuckled as he switched places with the shrunken detective so the last two players sat across from each other.

The color briefly drained from Conan's face before a game face slammed down. Kaito had the same reaction but the two smirked at each other after a brief moment. Electric sparks passed between them again.

"Ya were wrong Hakuba. It looks like ya do need poker faces in games of chance too." Hattori smiled smugly as he sat back and began to watch the game.

The game became more intense then ever before! Hands didn't flash, they appeared and disappeared so quickly, most couldn't see them. Staring hard earned you a glimpse at their hands. Conan slammed his hand down on a jack of hearts, leaning over the table and smirking smugly.

"For Hattori." He claimed. The Osakan beamed at his best friend who winked back after sitting back again.

Kaito squinted at his favorite detective. "You're not getting away with that..." He said as the detective pulled the huge pile of cards towards him.

"Oh really?" Conan asked innocently. "I think I just did." He smirked tauntingly at the thief before him.

The on-lookers smirked at each other, an understanding passing between them; someone was going down hard. However, it was ages before another card showed up from the deck. Hattori yawned tiredly, and nudged Hakuba to check his watch.

"Twenty-three hours, twenty-seven minutes, forty-five seconds, and three milliseconds." The blonde yawned.

Both hands at the table faltered. "I suppose we should go to bed huh?" Conan smiled weakly.

"I suppose you're right..." Kaito admitted.

"Of course I am." Conan snapped. "Let me show you to your room Hakuba. Hattori, you know where to go." Conan led the way upstairs but faltered at the door. "We'll continue this later." He said darkly to the thief waiting at the table. "Unless you're sleepy."

"No. I'm not." Kaito said, struggling to hold back his yawn. Conan rolled his eyes before leaving the room.

The three continued up the stairs silently. "There's this room I found today." Conan began. "I think it'd suit you well Hakuba."

"Found?" Hakuba inquired.

Conan's step faltered. "I... Don't usually look around my house. I usually just use the library, kitchen, my bedroom, living room, and bathrooms." He said quietly. "The house is already quiet and big without having to know what's left of it."

"A lonely house..." Hakuba murmured. Conan took a left towards the left wing and his step faltered once more. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just some foolish habit my parents forced me into. I was always forbidden to come to the west side of the house. About ten years ago, when I was nine, they said I could pass, but the habit of avoiding this place stuck with me." Conan explained as they moved on. He opened a door, but slammed it shut immediately. "Wrong room." He muttered, knowing he opened the door to the white room. The mini host turned back and went to the door they'd passed a bit before. He opened it and Hakuba stepped inside.

"Wow..." Hattori breathed. "What da hell's goin' on with da west side of yer house Kudou?"

Conan shuffled his feet on the floor uncomfortably. "Uh... My mom probably decorated this side of the house..." A slight blush covered his face.

"Your mother has style." Hakuba commented. "Thank you Shinichi-kun. Good night." He smiled brightly.

"Good night." Conan nodded as he shut the door behind him.

"I'm hittin' da hay too Kudou." Hattori yawned.

"If you say so." Conan shrugged. "Maybe it's a good idea to sleep now."

"I'm out den Kudou." Hattori yawned before swinging into his room. "Say goodnight Kudou." The Osakan yawned, and probably broke the world record with it.

"Goodnight Kudou." Conan mimicked before running away.

"OI!" The bronze-skinned detective yelled down the hall. Conan snickered as he burst into the living room once more. His breath came out in slight pants and brief shock crossed his face when he noticed Kaito sitting at the card table, shuffling the three decks of cards used in the Slap Jack game previously.

"Welcome back Tantei-kun. I'm glad we're alone." The thief grinned. His legs were crossed and half-lidded eyes watch the shrunken detective's every move. The magician ran a hand through his hair by habit and tousled it even more.

Conan scowled at the thief while struggling to hide his pink blush. "That was suggestive Kaito." He said as he slid into one of the chairs at the table. The thief handed him a deck of cards to toy with himself. Conan began to shuffle the deck and make guesses at which cards were on top. A deep scowl etched into his face every time the answer was wrong, and one of great triumph when he was right. Kaito watched, completely amused.

"Are you guessing which cards are on top?" Kaito asked.

"Yes." Conan glanced up at the thief for a moment. "I hate games of chance. You have no educated guesses for them."

"Isn't that what makes them fun?" Kaito asked, smiling as he made the cards in his left hand arc over his head and land in his right hand.

Conan paused, as though the thought had never occurred to him before. A tiny smile appeared on his face, and the magician felt as though he was just rewarded by an angel. "I guess you're right Kaito."

"Let's make it even more fun." Kaito grinned mischievously, thinking back to his analogy of rewards just seconds ago. "One person will be the card master. The other one will guess. The card master will pull out a card from the deck and the other one guesses. If they guess correctly, the card master rewards the guesser." Kaito grinned at the game.

Conan, oblivious to the way things could go, agreed with a shrug. "Sure. I'm card master."

Kaito tsked. "Nuh uh. I'm card master, you be the detective you are and make the guesses Tantei-kun." Kaito's smile was mischievous and that smile sent shivers down Conan's back.

"Whatever." Conan sighed, knowing it was useless to argue with the thief. He could wake up to a booby-trapped house tomorrow morning.

Kaito shuffled the deck with a pleasant smile that seemed to be permanently etched into his dazzling features. That half-lidded gaze returned, seeming to search Conan's soul. Conan's stomach clenched as the instinct to hide overtook his mind. The idea of the thief possibly finding out his biggest secret was his biggest fear. Right behind the shrunken detective's own phobia (which is classified information at the moment). Conan clenched and unclenched his fists in deep thought.

"Ready to play Tantei-kun?" Kaito asked, breaking the child out of his trance.

"Kaito. Think about it. The possibility of me guessing the correct card is slim to none. Is there a way you could give me a hint? Like if it's an odd or even number. Or of the suite is red or black."

"How about I give you the suite?" Kaito asked. "Are you that desperate to be rewarded?" The thief taunted.

Conan, still oblivious to the thief's train of thought snapped back. "No. I just want to win."

"Okay, then Tantei-kun. The suite is hearts." The magician began.

'Thirteen possibilities.' Conan thought immediately. A part of him replied in a quiet voice. 'Unlucky number...' Conan's anger snapped. "Yeah, well he has good luck. Maybe it'll be canceled out."

"Excuse me?"

Conan's eyes widened in shock. "Sorry. A part of me was just thinking how thirteen is an unlucky number." He scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Ummm... Is it the queen?"

Kaito sighed dramatically. "Wrong. Guess again. Three guesses and then card change."

"Ace of hearts."

"Buzzzt." Kaito answered.

"Then the seven of hearts?" Conan asked.

"Yes!" The thief jumped up and danced a bit before setting his hands on either sides of the detective's chair and resting there.

Suddenly, Conan's brain had one of those amazingly slow moments where everything clicked together. "Oh.." He squeaked, turning pink in the face due to their proximity. Conan's heart hammered in his chest, his body going tense.

The magician hummed. "How to reward you..." He frowned as though in deep thought. Suddenly, the thief kissed the child's forehead. "That's it for now..." He hummed with approval at his own antics.

Conan relaxed as the thief went back, but disappointment suddenly weighed upon his shoulders, heavier then the intense blush that was crowding his face seconds ago. "Awww~" he said mockingly.

"If you want more, just guess." The thief shrugged.

Conan growled with renewed resolve, mentally gasping at what he'd just done. "Fine. I'll play your game you thief." He snapped. "Next card buddy."

"Suite: diamond." Kaito answered, an amused face in place at the moment.

"Ace." Conan replied immediately.

"C-correct..? How did you know?" Kaito stammered.

"Simple. You're picking the cards, so I just have to go with cards I think you'd pick based on personality." Conan smirked with triumph. "I'm such a genius sometimes." He chuckled.

The thief placed a kiss on the bridge of Conan's nose, right where his glasses should've been if the thief hadn't shoved them up. "I wonder how many more you'll get correct before I get here." The thief poked the skin right under the detective's chest, who blushed madly.

"Keep the cards coming you idiot." The child muttered, looking away from the thief's face.

Kaito smirked before sitting back and picking another card from the deck. "Suite: clubs."

"Seven of clubs." Conan answered dully.

"Why?"

"A club is similar to a clover. Which is a lucky item. Then, in numerology, seven is considered a lucky number itself." Conan replied as the thief prowled closer to his detective.

The thief placed a chaste kiss on the tip of the detective's nose, making him go cross-eyed. Conan's breath hitched as he thought about the next place. "Next card." Conan said in a tight voice.

"Suite: spade."

"King."

"Why?"

"I guessed." The detective couldn't say that he thought the thief had been thinking about his older self when he picked it out. King most likely because Shinichi Kudou was a king in mystery.

"I don't believe you." Kaito said as he straddled Conan's lap. The shrunken detective looked away, a mad blush evident on his face. The thief's forearms were on Conan's shoulders and he clasped them together behind his back.

"I-it's late." The shrunken detective squeaked as he squirmed. "We should go to bed."

Kaito jumped off of Conan's lap. "Great! We can continue this in 'your' room!" He said cheerfully, already waltzing away.

Conan stared after him, wide eyed and blushing tomato red. "Oh my gawd... The phantom thief KID is in my bed..." He breathed, slapping his face to make sure it wasn't a dream.

'Score...' A part of him breathed in sheer happiness.

The detective was off and in his room once he grabbed a glass of water. He attempted to look as annoyed as possible. "Do you have to sleep in my room?" He asked, voice tight enough to express his annoyance.

"Slumber party!" The thief sang, already in the same pajamas he was in last time.

"You're sleeping on the floor." Conan deadpanned. "On a nice and warm futon!" He smiled sweetly.

"Why?!" The thief whined. "It's more nice and warm under the covers and sharing body heat with you~" he sang. "Plus..." His voice fell into a seductive tone. "How are we supposed to continue what we started downstairs?"

"Pedophile." Conan replied dully, yet his face was pink at the thief's tone.

"I don't care." He said seriously. The shocked detective searched his face. "I said I don't care. I like you as Tantei-kun." He said carefully.

The detective couldn't hold back anymore. He crawled into the thief's arms. They awaited him since the beginning. Kaito grinned down at his face before beginning to caress the detective's neat hair. Conan nestled deeply into the magician's chest, taking in the intoxicating fragrance. Mint chocolate, strawberry (probably from his latest smoke bomb), and surprisingly cinnamon came in from his clothes. Conan hugged the thief tightly.

"Thank you Kaito... It means a lot..." He croaked.

"No problem..." The thief hummed. In a few moments, the thief was kissing the detective's nose once more. "Is this where we left off?" He hummed.

Conan nodded before a shiver went through his body. Kaito moved down, kissing the top of his lip and the place between the nose and lip. Conan, realizing that he was being teased, growled before tilting his head up to captivate the thief's lips. A chuckle rumbled through Kaito's chest as he asked for entrance. He nibbled on the detective's bottom lip and a moan escaped through Conan's throat. With the moan, the thief took the chance to slip his tongue through Conan's parted lips. And the battle began.

Tongues battled ferociously when they aren't exploring the mouth they adventured into. Kaito wanted to feel every part of the detective's mouth and he did. However, he growled when Conan came back and battled his tongue for dominance. The detective then began to adventure the thief's mouth, which tasted sweet, like mint chocolate. He smirked when he recognized the taste to be of that one dessert he gave to Kaito not too long ago. Kaito tasted strawberries and coffee from inside Conan's mouth. With one last small nibble on each other's lips, the two broke apart for air.

Conan was panting. "Nn..." He moaned, flopping down on the bed. "My mouth just went through heaven..." He murmured softly as he hugged his sheets close to him.

Kaito flopped down next to him, beginning to pet his neat hair. "I'm much better to sleep with than Shinichi." He said proudly and pointedly. Conan froze before turning to his thief so that he was staring at the man's (clothed) chest.

Then the boy laughed out loud so bad, he began to choke. Kaito stared wide-eyed at Conan as the boy attempted to calm himself by using silent laughter. Tears poured out of his eyes as he struggled to breathe, but he remained quiet. "Tantei-kun?"

The detective wiped tears from his eyes before looking up at the violet eyes staring down at him. "Is that what you were worried about?" He asked quietly once he was completely calmed down. Though a mischievous smile danced on his lips, looking foreign, but Kaito loved it.

The thief's cheeks turned pink as he looked away, glowing brightly in the darkness of the room. "W-well..." He nodded slowly.

Conan kissed his chin and drunk in the surprised look the thief gave him afterwards. "Please. We sleep in the same bed every night. But it's like I'm alone." He taunted, smirking playfully.

The thief froze. "Uhh... Conan-kun, you just spoke in present tense. Hasn't Shinichi gone missing for a long time?" He asked, clearly confused, yet the pieces were finally clicking together.

Conan realized he still had his glasses, and put them on the night stand before snuggling into the thief's chest. The detective seemed intent on getting drunk with the warmth radiating off his partner. Then he blinked up at the thief innocently. "I know." He said seriously. "Didn't I say I was the only one who knew where he was but didn't?"

Kaito stared down into the cerulean orbs that seemed to be waiting. Just waiting for that answer to come, inspecting his expressions until he finally got it. Kaito reeled away from the child as all things clicked into place. Eyes watered slightly before he crushed his lips against Conan's.

'I knew it. I KNEW IT!' He mentally screamed with happiness. "You're Shinichi aren't you?" He asked excitedly. A strong poker face hid his sad feelings of Conan's web of lies. "I knew it! I knew you were Shin-chan!" He squealed, cuddling the detective in a bone crushing hug.

"Since when?!" Shinichi demanded once he received his air supply again. The detective pushed away from his partner slightly.

"Since the time we sat together and drank coffee in the Mouri dinning room. Then my suspicions were confirmed when you slipped up and then wore your glasses as Shinichi." Kaito explained.

"At least you know you're no pedophile." Shinichi chuckled.

"Phew!" The magician wiped his brow. "That's a relief. Ok so who else knows?"

Conan squirmed uncomfortably, knowing one of the names would displease the thief. "Well, the Hakase, Haibara, Hattori, some of the FBI, you, and well..." His nervous gaze strayed away from the magician's face. "Hakuba?" He squeaked.

"What?!" The magician demanded. "You told that half-Brit of an arrogant detective before me? No fair Shin-chan!" He whined.

"I didn't tell him!" Conan squeaked. "He.. Saw me change back on the plane." He explained. "Had proof and everything. To be honest, I wish Haibara had developed a memory erasing drug by now so I could've used it on him..."

"Ai-chan? Oh yeah!" The magician remembered. "You said she was in the same predicament right? Or was that me assuming so?" He wondered aloud.

"You assuming correctly. Actually... She's the one who developed the drug that shrunk me. But she came to meet me when she figured out the affects of the drug and is now making an anti..." Conan let the sentence hang in the air, remembering that an antidote could be impossible. "She's been making my temporary antidotes." He explained.

Kaito gave him a weird look. "Anyway. I'll punish you another time for lying to me. For now.. We should celebrate! Let's throw a party tomorrow!" He squealed, then he whispered into the detective's ear. "You owe me a huge load of explanations, apologies, and favors for me possibly forgiving you."

"Whatever!" Conan hugged before flipping over so that Kaito was hugging him from behind. "Goodnight. And congratulations on solving your first mystery."

Kaito sighed contently and nipped the ear of his detective in happiness. "We will continue another time." Conan shivered with pleasure. "Especially now that I don't have to restrain myself." He whispered huskily.

"Ditto." Conan quipped sleepily.

The two feel asleep like that, sighing contently whenever they opened their eyes to look at each other. Thank goodness this night went without an explosion of drama.

~The Next Morning~

Conan moaned happily as he woke up, groping around the bed for the comfortable warmth Kaito provided him. However, he began to panic when there was no body beside him, so Conan shot up. "Kai?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes a bit. The chibi-Tantei hurriedly clothed himself in shorts and his favorite white blouse. He searched his assortment of colorful bow ties (courtesy of the Hakase) and picked out a black one before putting on his glasses and heading downstairs. It was only nine am. Conan suddenly halted as he left his room, a wonderful scent crowding his nostrils.

"Oh my freaking gawd. Kai's making pancakes!" He squealed, racing down the stairs and into the living room to see of anyone was awake yet. Hakuba and Hattori were seated at the coffee table, drinking Earl Grey and sweet coffee respectively.

"Kudou!" Hattori grinned. "Ya didn't tell me Kuroba could cook us breakfast!" He smiled.

Despite all of Shinichi's efforts, he couldn't hold back the grin that spread over his face at the comment. "He's making pancakes." He grinned childishly.

Hattori and Hakuba blinked at him before bursting into fits of giggles and chuckles. "I'm guessing you like pancakes?" Hakuba smiled, clearly amused, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh he more than likes them." Kai answered as he walked into the room. "He adores them." He smiled mischievously at the faux child before him. "Isn't that right Shin-chan?" He asked innocently.

"Well, it's about damn time." Hattori snorted.

Hakuba seemed to be in pain ego-wise. "For once, I have to agree with Hattori-kun. What took the two of you so long?"

Hattori scowled deeply at the other's provoking nature. "He wanted to figure it out on his own." Conan shrugged. "It all started when I confirmed his suspicions of having a colossal secret."

"He gave me discreet hints as Shinichi and Conan. Then it clicked last night when he told me he slept in the same bed with Shinichi Kudou every night." Kaito chuckled at the expressions of faux horror on Hakuba's and Hattori's faces.

"I told you he was cruel to those that didn't know his secret." Hakuba elbowed the bronze detective beside him. "He literally jumped at the chance to make Kuroba jealous."

Conan flushed. "J-jealous?! Why would I do such a thing?!" He demanded.

Before either of the two could answer, Kaito interjected with a sigh. "Pancakes are ready."

Conan froze and grinned brightly. "Coming~!" He sang off tune running into the dinning room before anyone else. Conan slid into the seat HE liked instead of at the head of the table, and was pleased to find no pancakes before the disliked seat. "Hurry up!" He called excitedly to the others as they slowly walked to the dining room.

"I'v nev'r seen 'im so excited fer food before. I didn't know he liked pancakes." Hattori commented as the walked into the room.

"Chocolate chip ones are the best." Conan said as a matter of factly.

"I'll keep that in mind." Kaito smiled as he sat across from his favorite critic.

"Why do ya love pancakes so much?" Heiji interrogated.

"Itadakimasu~!" Conan proceeded to take a bite of the fluffy, flaky, and warm pancakes, that seemed to melt into his mouth. "Mom made them for me very morning when I was little..." He said quietly after thinking about it for a moment. He chuckled at the seat Kaito was in. "I almost expect her to show up there and be interrogating me for the taste. They were the only things she could cook." Conan snorted.

Silence reigned over the table for a moment before Hattori spoke. "Ne Kudou." He started, picking at his pancakes for a second. His chin was in his left hand and he seemed a bit bored.

"Hmmm?"

"Ya said yer parents came ta dat dinner Kaitou KID ruined when he decided ta visit." Kaito flinched at the sudden mention of his alter ego's name. "What happened ta dem afterwards?" Heiji wondered aloud. "Yer parents always seem ta disappear once d'ey make an appearence. I was jus' wonderin' why d'ey do dat every time ya know?"

Conan snorted. "It doesn't even matter. I rarely see them, and when they do come, it costs me a migraine. They usually disappear to a different part of Japan before heading overseas to Europe or something." Shinichi waved the topic off. A worried look was placed on Hattori's face so Conan hurried to amend it. "It's not unusual. It's been like this since I began living alone." He shrugged. "Stop worrying about it BAROO." He rolled his eyes at his friend.

Hattori slammed a fist on the table. "Who says I'm worri'en?" He snapped, fighting back a blush of embarrassment at the idea. Thank his lucky stars his skin was bronze. "I was jus' wond'rin'."

Hakuba chose this chance to speak. "When did you start to live alone Shinichi-kun?" He asked, seemingly already finished with his pancakes.

Conan though for a second. "I think it was either age thirteen or age fourteen. I can't remember." He shrugged.

"In this huge house all alone?" Kaito squeaked. "Weren't you afraid of the bumps and creaks in the night? Or the dark?" He asked with wonder.

"Don't be foolish Kai. Why would I be afraid of noises at night? There's a logical explanation for those noises. Like the wind shifting the frames of the house." Conan pointed out. He lazily took a sip of the orange juice in front of him.

"He didn't deny the fear of the dark." Hakuba pointed out.

Conan scowled. "The dark isn't scary Hakuba. It's only a short amount of time in which a room or the outside lacks light." He said triumphantly. "The light always comes back."

"Dat's true in more den one way." Hattori said, nodding his head solemnly. "It's jus' like Kudou ta say somethin' wise like dat."

"We're you afraid of anything?!" Kaito demanded, obviously shocked that his detective had no fear living in this house alone.

Conan calmly stood up. "That can be the next mystery you try to solve."

"Aww~ give me a break Tantei-kun! I'm no detective, you know that!" Kaito whined.

"It's not like I'm willingly going to tell you my fear if I had one." Conan retorted. "Anyone else done eating? I'm on dishes duty today..."

Kaito snickered. "You said duty."

"Haha." Conan laughed sarcastically. "And I thought I was the one in grade school."

Kaito pouted after handing his plate into Conan's waiting hands. Hakuba and Hattori did the same, minus the pout. "Let's relax in da livin' room 'til Kudou's finished." Hattori suggested.

"Fine by me!" Kaito jumped up and was in the living room before anyone else, as though it was a race.

Conan sighed as he stood alone in the kitchen. He hadn't meant to make the breakfast a damper like that so quickly. More like he didn't want to at all. He put his head in one of his hands for a moment, relaxing his senses. That was probably why he didn't notice the three pairs of eyes watching him closely. Or maybe it was the fact that the stares weren't hostile. Conan pushed a small stool over to the sink and began to wash the dishes, hands working as he himself daydreamed. Conan sighed again.

"Biggest fear huh?" He breathed into the air. 'I have a phobia myself... But my biggest fear is...' Conan stopped moving his hands for a moment, tilted his head down, and let his top lip poof over his lower one in a thoughtful pose. 'Solitude...' He suddenly reanimated his body after deciding, making the three spies behind him flinch/jump slightly.

In no time at all, the dishes were washed clean, dried, and put away. Conan wiped his hands on the kitchen towel, eyes remaining half-lidded as he daydreamed. He believed that he wasn't afraid of the dark. That at most was true. No, Shinichi was afraid of what the dark bought with it: solitude. Conan knew he would absolutely die inside should his friends and family suddenly disappear. That was to be expected of a fragile being such as the shrunken detective. Briefly, he wondered if Kaito knew what he was getting himself into.

Hakuba's garnet eyes drank in every detail of the faux child's body language. It was guarded slightly, but more relaxed. For the first time, Hakuba believed it was possible to see the burden weighing so heavily on the shrunken detective's shoulders. He knew that the two other spies beside him could see it too. Perhaps, a burden was easiest to see if you knew little about it. Hattori-kun seemed to know everything, yet it was because he was so adjusted to the burden that he failed to see how the other carried himself when alone. He wondered briefly if he would remember to notice the faux child's burden if/when he was told about it.

Hattori's emerald eyes were calmly watching his best-friend. Only one definition could compare with the gaze the bronze detective carried: a calm pond of water. This was one of the rare moments that both of the detectives let their feelings rip through their own specialized poker faces. Or as Kudou liked to call them, 'game faces'. Heiji could literally see the child's shoulders sagging with the weights of the lies he's told throughly the past two/three years. His own heart grew heavy as he silently spoke to the heavens above.

'What did such a good person do to deserve such a horrible fate? Was it because dead bodies are attracted to him like magnets? Or is it because the gods above didn't particularly like Kudou's attitude before the B.O got him?'

The bronze detective silently berated himself for those thoughts. He himself knew that the B.O had changed his own life too. He'd received humility where it mattered most, without losing his hot-temperedness. He'd learned the truths of the world and it's ugliness. Heck, he'd even been part of that ugliness until Kudou came into his life with his own way of deducing correctly. He'd give permission to anyone to cut off his tongue if he'd ever deny that Kudou changed him later. It was for the best right?

On Kaito's side of things, you saw the same blank expression the other two carried. Though this one was firm, and no raw emotions ripped out of the seams of his poker face. Kaito had known since the moment he'd met Conan that the child was brilliant, sad, and carried a burden that possibly was heavier than his own. The thief briefly wondered when he'd get his answers on why the detective seemed to always be standing in the line of fire in dangerous situations. Who would've thought the two were sharing the same burden in different ways? Not Kaito of course. After all, he still remained oblivious to the alcoholic branch of the B.O.

Conan shifted uneasily in his stance before suddenly going rigid enough that his spine was straight. The irate detective spun on his heels to face the three spies behind a wall, peeking at him with blank expressions and wonder twinges in their eyes. Conan face palmed gently before sighing and looking back up at his friends.

"You have nothing to worry about." He said gently and calmly. "I'm perfectly fine." The detective spread his hands out in an attempt to show relaxed body language, but one look at his friends told him they didn't buy it for a moment. Though of course, Kaito'a mask was as perfect as ever.

Hattori was the one to nervously laugh. "Sorry Kudou. We were jus' thinkin' dat ya seemed kinda down. I swear Kuroba started it." He pointed a finger at the magician accusingly. "I jus' came ta see what he was lookin' at sooo intently."

Kaito's nose scrunched as he held back a slight blush. "Hey Heiji-kun. You see your hand? You have three fingers pointing at you. You had three things you could've done better yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn't be pointing that finger." He quipped.

Hattori frowned in thought as the rest of the boys shook their heads. "Anyway." Conan began. "Can we just..." Shinichi's electric blue eyes turned to the window as he spoke. "Oh. It's raining." He blinked in mild surprise.

The others' heads turned to the window themselves. "It seems so..." Hakuba agreed.

Conan was mumbling to himself as he went around the kitchen to find snacks. "I say we just relax for a while and chat in the living room. I wanna hear about your recent cases," he glanced at Hakuba and Hattori. "And your new magic tricks Kai. I doubt you could trick me." He smirked challengingly.

"Ohhh~ you. Are. On!" Kaito rubbed his hands together as though he was prepping for a trick.

Conan smiled before picking a bowl of strawberries out of the refrigerator. He sprinkled a bit of sugar over them and then got a bag of chips. He tossed the chips to Hattori, the strawberries to Kaito, and handed a bowl of chopped fruits to Hakuba. He smiled wryly. "You guys like fruit?" If Conan didn't eat healthy right after transforming, he could faint from sickness.

"Ya doin' dis fer Sciency 'Neechan righ'?" The bronze detective asked, gesturing to the fruits.

Conan smiled sheepishly and smiled. "Haha... Yeah." Then he walked away and into the the living room. Suddenly, he stumbled at the doors. "A-ah!" He fell to the floor with a thump. "A ta ta ta ta ta..." He mumbled, rubbing his back.

"What did you mean by the fruits?" Kaito asked the Osakan once Conan was up and about again. He faced the bronze detective as Hakuba nodded in agreement.

"It's simple. When Kudou changes back ta Conan, he's gotta eat healthy fer a while. Otherwise, his body will break down 'r as ya say it, 'get sick'." Hattori explained as he walked towards the living room.

"Oh~." The magician sang as he flopped down into the couch comfortably. He pushed the bowl of strawberries toward the mini detective. He was still mumbling as he flipped through the channels. "What are you mumbling Shin-chan?" He asked curiously.

"A song's lyrics." He answered plainly before stopping on the news channel. It was talking about the weather at the moment. Lighting flashed in the small icon of the dark clouds and rain representing a thunder storm. Conan sunk to the floor, staring at the icon. He snapped back to life when he saw the strawberries at the corner of his eye. Gingerly, the small detective picked one of the strawberries out of the bowl and ate it. "It's sweet." He commented off handedly.

"It's not bad." Kaito commented as he ate a strawberry. He slowly chewed on it to savor the sweet taste and juice. "Though it could be sweeter." He winked at his Tantei-kun.

The small detective simply rolled his eyes in reply. "After noticing that I carry bitter maple syrup in my house, you'd think that you'd know I don't have a taste for sweet things already." He said dully, checking on the windows outside everyone in a while. His hands twitched, defying his straight face and tone, and Kaito noticed.

All four chatted for a bit before a sudden crackle and loud clap of thunder sounded. Conan yelped girlishly, much to his chagrin, and a blue flash of hot lightening shut the lights in the house of completely. Black out. Dim light streamed into the windows, so the house wasn't as bright as it could've been at almost noon. Kaito waited for his 'Super-Awesome-Kuroba-Night-Vision' to kick in (a trait passed down through the family and from phantom thieving) patiently before he let his gaze wander and the observe the room. Tantei-kun was no where to be seen. Hakuba and Hattori were stock still, most likely waiting for their eyes to adjust from the sudden lack of light. The blinds were partially shut already, so it was no wonder that the room was dark. Kaito sat still before asking his question.

"Where's Shinichi?" He asked aloud. The silence that had been reigning over the group of three became even quieter (if possible) due to the murmurs of the two detectives and the thunder calming.

Another rumble of thunder resounded through the empty and quiet house. Kaito briefly thought that he'd caught a small sound outside the door. He dismissed the thought until another evil cackle of thunder sounded, and the small noise came again. "Was that a whimper?" Hakuba asked, and Kaito knew he wasn't imagining the noise now.

"I heard it too..." Hattori agreed. "Is dere a lost puppy 'r somethin' takin' shelter under da window covers 'r somethin'?" He asked.

"Not likely." Hakuba said flatly. "And your grammar just then was superbly poor. You said 'or something' twice in one sentence." He corrected in a monotone.

Hattori scowled. "I was throwin' out suggestions! Sayin' ''r somethin'' is acceptable at dat point!" He argued.

"Whatever." Kaito interrupted. "The question is, how did Shinichi disappear in about five seconds flat from this room? Without his eyes adjusting to the dark?"

The two detective's snorted in sync. "Disappears? You do it all the time Kuroba. It's not unlikely that he's learned a thing or two from you." Hakuba smirked.

"'N' dis is Kudou's house. 'E doesn't have ta see ta know where 'e's goin' 'ere. Da place is completely memorized."

"Right." Kaito said dryly, regretting the fact that Shinichi wasn't here. He'd stop them all from fighting. "So tell me where he is then."

"Probably right outside the door." Hakuba said. Kaito didn't like the tone of voice in the Half-Brit's sentence. It sent a shiver down his spine. As though the blonde knew something he didn't and was snorting laughter at him. Kaito gulped a lump in his throat down before creeping to the door. On the count of three, he threw it open! Would you believe what he saw?

There, crouching with hands over his ears, was Conan. He was shaking and leaning his side against the wall for some support. Eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and face screwed up with pure fear. Kaito saw a child. A real child afraid of something in the world. And well, he was beyond shocked. No. Shocked wasn't even the correct word. It was like an old fashioned record just stopped spinning and made that ugly noise. He crouched down to Conan's level and touched his quivering shoulder. The thief jumped back just in time as a hand lashed out to attack his.

"Woah! Shinichi! Calm down!" Kaito blinked, fresh adrenaline slowly fading from the sudden attack.

He was surprised to see the detective totally unresponsive to his voice. Even more so when wild eyes snapped open to check the surroundings. Kaito couldn't help but freeze when those eyes locked with his in a flash. To be honest, Conan was acting like a cat. But what would trigger this type of reaction? What has changed from ten minutes ago? The darkness? No. That didn't make sense, he was always fine at KID heists. The rain? Sure it was literally pounding against the windows, but that couldn't be it... So... What was it?

Kaito grabbed the quivering child and held him in his arms, keeping a steel grip against the struggling. Thank gawd for his strength! Conan was fighting so hard, and probably so frightened too! "Shinichi... Calm down... I'm right here." He mumbled against the child's hair. He rubbed his back and said those comforting words over and over again until the he was calmed and practically clinging on the teenager for dear life. Later, he was napping in the magician's arms and was carried to his bedroom. Kaito resisted the urge to snicker when he tucked him in before trudging down the stairs and into the living room.

"I guess ya took care of 'im den?" Hattori teased while watching the television. Kaito glared so fiercely at the bronze Osakan that he did a double take to look at him. "He got ya?!" He detective gasped.

Kaito nodded. "It's just a nail scratch." Unfortunately, Kaito had been too slow when Conan lashed out the second time while struggling. "Though it's kinda long and kinda deep. Do you know where the first aid kit is?"

Hattori looked at him with sad, disapproving eyes. "Dis is gonna kill 'im later." He mumbled, disappearing to find the kit. Kaito sat down in an arm chair before sighing deeply and glaring at Hakuba so hard, he looked up from his book with a start.

"I suppose you knew he was going to react like this?" Kaito snarled half-heartedly, though his glare remained in full affect.

Hakuba screwed up his face with pure 'what did you say?' confusion. "Goodness sakes, no!" He cried. "I didn't think he'd react violently. I thought he'd react the same way you did with fish."

Kaito winced. "So... What is he so afraid about? And when did you find out?"

"Thunder." The blonde said triumphantly. "It was evident from the way he reacted when we were eating those strawberries. He completely froze when he saw the weather for today. My suspicions where confirmed when he dashed out of the room the moment the first clap of thunder sounded. How his phobia was introduced... Well that remains a mystery until you ask him. However, it may have something to do with a past experience." The half-Brit finished, obviously proud of his deduction.

"Oh." Kaito said simply, making the blonde detective deflate. Hattori thankfully chose that moment to walk in, but froze and then burst into a fit of laughter.

"What happened to the half-Brit? He looks like a kicked puppy!" Peals of laughter escaped his lips with that, making the aforementioned blonde glare. "Anyway, lemme treat dos wounds fer ya Kuroba." The emerald-eyed detective approached the magician.

Kaito furrowed his brow. "But it's on my arm. Do you think I'll be able to get a shirt from Shinichi's room to hide this?" He asked honestly.

"Dat might be da best idea I've heard ya say." Hattori said seriously. "Jus' tell 'im ya were gettin' a glass of water and got wet."

"And if he wants to see the broken glass shards?"

"Break one daliberatly... Duh." He smirked.

"Oh yeah..." Kaito did a double take. "Wait... what?" The blankest face ever made appeared on Kaito's face, so well made, that Hattori fell backwards with peals of laughter as Kaito sat there dumbfounded.

"It's simple. Create false evidence." Hakuba chuckled from the armchair.

"Do detectives even do that?" Kaito mumbled to himself irritably as he stomped out of the room. In a few moments, he was up the stairs and moving silently through Shinichi's room in search of clothes. He found a light colored sweater hidden in the back of the closet. Perhaps Shinichi didn't like light colored clothing?

Kaito, being as paranoid as he was, sometimes sent glances to his favorite critic as he pulled the sweater out of the closet. The thief finally let out a held breath when he was standing out side of the room. The magician stood there for a moment in thought, as though thinking about what he'd done before slipping off his shirt and putting on the cream colored sweater. At least it fit with the rainish-hailish weather. Kaito sped down the stairs and into the kitchen, deciding not to dwell on the fact that he was about to purposely take a cup of water and spill it on his favorite shirt. Or the fact the he was going to purposely break it afterwards. In short, he was content on acting like a mindless fool for a few moments.

Not that he didn't act like that anyway. (But you didn't hear it from me! Tehe! -.~)

Kaito simply blocked out all thoughts, hoping it would ease his conscience from lying to Shinichi this way. At least it was better than him getting all riled up and depressed about causing a cut on his arm.

'Not that it was Shinichi's fault.' Kaito thought as he spilled the water on his shirt. 'I was the one who approached him like that and made him even more scared.' Kaito allowed the glass to fall from his fingers, snapping out of his thoughts and into the real world at the shattering sound.

Kaito stared at the shattered glass, almost hypnotized. For a moment, the glass shards were red, and the wood flooring was cement. Instead of his slippers, he saw his usual white shoes and the ends of his white dress pants. Kaito rubbed the eye where the KID monocle should've been as he attempted to snap out of his trance. He snorted at his own antics. To believe he was so obsessed with finding and destroying Pandora that he'd hallucinate every time glass shattered on the floor. It was pitiful. Kaito bent down to pick up the shards and quickly dumped them in the trash can before they could prick his sensitive fingers' skin. When the work was done, Kaito walked back into the room, where Hakuba was slipping on a jacket.

"Are you leaving?" The magician inquired.

Hakuba sent him a curt nod. "Bayaa is at home and called inquiring why I haven't returned home as of yet. Tell Shinichi-kun that I enjoyed his hospitality, and that I'd love to visit again." Hakuba told the Osakan and magician before grabbing his small suitcase already waiting at the living room door. "I'll see you at school Kuroba. Good day, Hattori-kun." And with that, the blonde was gone.

"'Good day'." Kaito mimicked in his English accent. "I hate his accent sometimes. He gets so uptight and then says things like, 'I should've planned on bringing my wellies today'." Kaito's lip twitched with annoyance. "Him and his tea filled brain."

"Agrehd." Hattori nodded solemnly. "I don' like 'is words bein' mixed up in our Japanese. Doh I got nothin' 'gainst da true accent 'n' language."

"Same with me, I simply don't like his words that's all. He shouldn't be mixing the languages like that. I'm pretty sure there's no word for 'wellies' in Japanese, so he says that word in English. Not that I mind. But it gets annoying in normal conversation. Geez Hakuba." Kaito huffed.

"Talkin' ta 'im can be interestin' if yer lookin' ta learn somethin' 'bout da language." Hattori said on the plus side of things.

"You wouldn't believe how much he's unknowingly helped with my English homework." Kaito grinned in response. "Guess we should leave it be... Not that we could do anything about it in the first place."

Hattori laughed at the first statement. "I don' care anymore." He said finally. "I really don' anymore. So long as he's not doin' it ta provoke meh."

"I give up." Kaito said as he threw himself on the couch. He planned to take a nap himself. "I didn't expect a thunderstorm in the middle of winter." He said suddenly.

"It was hail Kuroba. Ya were jus' so occupied wit' Kudou ta notice." Heiji snickered at his own joke like a child.

Kaito felt his face to pink before turning around to look at the Osakan. "Which reminds me... Did you know about his fear of thunder?" Kaito asked suspiciously.

The detective blinked his bright emerald eyes at the magician innocently. "Nah. I jus' knew he disappears ev'ry time it starts ta rain heavily. I though he was doin' somethin' important each time. Until I saw him freeze while eatin' da strawberries." He explained.

Kaito made an 'ohhhh' face before closing his heavy and tired eyelids to drift off into his not-so-dreamless sleep. After all, one is never a thief or holds secrets without having a dream about that. Though this time, he had a serious dream of Snake and Pandora.

"Why, hello KID." Snake cooed as he held Pandora up to see it in the moonlight.

"Don't you dare Snake! Don't drink it!" He yelled threateningly.

Snake looked back at the thief, amusement adorning his face. A taunting smirk and shaded eyes from his hat gazed intently at the thief. "Or else what? You'll kill me?" The snake laughed. "I'd be immortal!"

"The comet isn't even out for another fifty years Snake." KID snapped cooly.

The clad in black man looked at the thief, cocking his head innocently to the side. "I guess all those years dead really screwed up your sense of counting Toichi!" He laughed, clearly delighted. "The comet will be out!" He declared with glee. The snake checked his watch. "In two minutes to be exact." He winked. "Because we both know how very precise you tend to be with the time."

Suddenly, the aforementioned comet was racing towards the top of the moon. KID gasped in total shock. "No!" He screamed as Snake lifted the jewel to the moon. "Don't you dare!" He screeched at he attempted to tackle the man. However, his movements were like he was traveling through jello, so he was too slow.

Pandora glowed briefly with the inner-jewel flashing in lights of orange and yellow. Tears suddenly poured forward from the cracks in the jewel, and KID screamed at Snake licked one off just as he was about to he tackled to the floor.

"DON'T!" He screamed, shooting up from his dream in cold sweat and panting heavily. He could vaguely see two fingers standing over him as he squinted at them while holding his chest. "Wh-wha?" He asked breathless, obviously confused. His vision finally focused and he saw Conan and Heiji facing him with worried expressions.

"Kaito?" Conan asked gently. "Are you alright?" His quiet soprano voice soothed Kaito's worries as the teenager laid back down and put an arm over his face.

"I-I'm fine." He winced when he heard his own voice crack. "Just a nightmare..." He murmured. "Can I..." He lifted the arm from his face and pleaded with his eyes. "Has some water?"

Conan was gone in a flash and back faster with water and ice. "Here." He gently pushed the glass into the magician's trembling hands, who chugged it down in one go. The thief let out a sigh of contentment.

"What were ya dreamin' 'bout?" Heiji asked innocently. "Ya were tossin' 'n' turnin' so much, I'm surprised ya didn't fall off da couch." He grinned at his joke.

Kaito smiled. "Ahh~ just reliving the past, is all." He said calmly. Choosing to say that instead of explaining that what he saw could be his future.

"Oh..." Conan nodded solemnly as though it'd happened a lot to him. Of course it did. The boy glanced at his watch. "We'll it's getting late. You can still catch the train to Ekoda if you take a cab. Of would you rather stay here?" He small boy eyed his curiously.

Kaito smiled. "Nah... I think I'll go home. I get a dream like the every time my mom comes home from traveling." He joked, grinning at the reactions he received in reply.

"That's fine." Conan said. "I'm hope you enjoyed your stay." He said politely. "And take care of yourself Kai. You're a little warm." He said worriedly.

"That's an insult." Kaito said darkly. "We all know I'm hot." He winked before jumping off of the couch and finding his luggage from the airplane heist.

Conan scowled in his direction. "Don't flatter yourself magician. It's unbecoming."

Kaito rolled his eyes before climbing the stairs and coming back down with his small bag of clothes. "Thanks for the stay Shin-chan! Ja, Tantei-han!" He waved before stepping out of the house and dashing away.

Conan stared after him. "I don't know what to think right now. I'm sure he's coming down with my fever." He said numbly.

Hattori hummed in agreement. "Well Kudou, dere's only a bit of dis week left before ya have ta return ta 'Neechan's 'n' I have ta get ta Osaka. Let's relax fer dead last two 'r three days." He yawned before stretching a bit. "Not dat we wuz doin' anythin' before." He smirked in his best friend's direction.

Conan rolled his eyes. "It was because these past two weeks were so eventful that we would like to relax this time. Plus, I haven't read that one letter KID passed onto me. We have a little bit left to do before going our separate ways for a while again."

"Ditto."

"BAROO. That 'ditto' applies to everything I just said. You don't have a letter to read." Conan rolled his eyes at his friend before walking away and to the library. "I was hoping Kaito wouldn't find out my phobia." He mumbled after some time.

"Why 'r ya afraid of thunder anyway?" The emerald eyed detective demanded.

"I was left alone in a giant house when I was only fourteen. It was dark at night Hattori. It reminded me that I was alone. Not only that, but thunder sounds like deep rumbling laughter. They're all laughing at me Hattori." Sad sapphire eyes stared at the other detective, and shadows seems to be wrapping the boy in a tight embrace, never to let go.

"Who's laughin'?" The tanned-skinned teenager asked.

Conan didn't answer. "The spirits of the shadows maybe... I don't know." He said quietly, before indulging in the letter before him.

The other man in the room simply watched his friend with sympathetic eyes. Eyes that saw every pain and burden and wrong-doing. Yet he didn't mind. After all, Kudou was pure even after going through multiple attempts to sully his soul from the gods. He was strong. So strong, it was admirable. He was weak. So weak of was barely seen because he was to weak to display it. He was prideful. But that had drowned in a pool of humility and patience. Shinichi was kind. So kind, he hurt himself for it. Hattori shook his head as he remembered all the times he'd attempted to save others and it's costed his own blood being spilt. Kudou was his best friend. One that Heiji could really talk to, knowing that anything he could ever pull off wasn't even close to as bad as his friend's. Honestly, Heiji was glad they'd met. They'd helped each other out in so many ways, that they were bonded by trauma.

Conan was fast asleep in his favorite armchair when Hattori snapped out of his musings. In other words, it was horribly late. So the 'elder' detective picked the small child up in his arms before carrying him to his room silently. Hattori removed the dorky glasses from his face and laid the kid down on his bed before draping the covers over him. Then the detective was gone. Silent as a shadow.

Believe it or not, Hattori had some skill too.

Finding himself satisfied with his past day, and a not hungry stomach, the detective decided to go to bed himself. He silently prayed the week would be over soon. He knew he had work back home, and really wanted a case to exercise his brain more. The bronze detective shut off his lights before slipping into pajamas and under the cool, inviting covers of his guest bed. He was out like a lightbulb once he was comfortable.

Good night. My two little detective's.

End chappie! So I wanted to say that I'm really sorry for not updating. Two weeks ago, I was down with a hellish stomach flu and could barely move let alone write. Then school decided to step in with a 'boater-safety week' making everyone have homework everyday. I'm serious. But we have to do it if we want out boating license.

Anyway, I'm sad to announce that this story is coming to an end soon. I have an ending in my head and kinda planned out, so this chapter was mainly filled and fluffy-ness rolled into one. I think it was long enough so that everyone was satisfied from the wait. Thanks for reading!

~Crescent T.

Ps. Oh, and I apologize if you found any typos. Feel free to point them out to me of you remember where they were! Thanks in advance!

Wellies= rain boots


	10. One Down

**Chappie Ten!**

* * *

**Wow guys! Ten chapters in! I'm sorry this is late, but I had some writer's block for this story and couldn't seem to make up an ending too well. This is around the time in a story where I just can't finish it. I hate ending stories! It's too difficult! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan... Sadly. T^T if I did, Ran would've died in a murder case that Shinichi and Hattori and Oc-chan all had to solve with broken hearts. Then Shinichi'd go to a KID heist months later and fall in love with KID. Hattori would've confessed his love to Kazuha by now, and Oc-chan and Kisaki would be together again for Ran's sake. The organization would've been wiped out, and Haibara would've met Hakuba and fallen in love. Yup. That's what would happen. Tehe!**

* * *

_**Normal POV**_

* * *

The last few days of Conan's "vacation" were ending. Tonight was the last one. It was already ten thirty, leaving most of the station empty. He and Hattori were walking side by side in the train station, atmosphere slightly heavy. Kazuha had asked them to come early for the train so they could catch up.

"Somethin' wrong, Kudou?" The Osakan detective asked, jogging the child out of his day dreaming.

"Hm?" He snapped his head up to look at the "elder" detective. Once bright, cerulean, eyes looked up at him sadly. "Nothing's wrong Hattori. Just thinking a bit, that's all." Conan replied nonchalantly.

"Dude, dat lie was so obvious, I could see 'liar' in big LED lights above yer head." Hattori said sarcastically. "Da eyes 'r' da windows ta da soul, right?" Conan nodded, wondering where his friend was going with this. "Well yer eyes 're gettin' darker 'vry minute."

Conan blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Like showin' yer mood man! Happy person equals bright eyes, 'n' sad person- Oh screw this! Jus' tell meh what's wrong!" Now Conan could see 'hot-blooded' in LED lights above his friend. Not that he'd mention it.

"I'm just a bit worried." Conan answered as they sat on the bench to wait for the train.

"'Bout?" Hattori prompted.

Conan turned a bit pink. "I... Was worried about Kaito acting a bit strangely when he left..." He murmured, obviously embarrassed that he'd been doing such a thing. He was with his friend for crying out loud! And Hattori would only be here for a little while longer.

"Why don't ya jus' call?" Hattori blinked at his best friend.

Conan sunk low into the bench, obviously upset. "I don't have his number..." He muttered.

Hattori threw his head back and laughed. Conan lifted his head and blinked at him in surprise. "Come on, Kudou!" He slammed a hand onto the middle of his friend's back. "He was able ta put his number inta my phone without meh noticin'! I bet he did it ta yours _wayyyyy_ before mine!" He laughed.

Conan blinked. "Really?"

Hattori nodded. "Yeah. Jus' check yer phone." He chuckled.

The small boy did exactly that. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out one phone. "Which one do you think he put it in?" Conan asked excitedly.

Hattori grinned at the now hyped active child. "Both."

Shinichi turned on his touch screen for Conan. He tapped the screen a few times and then began scrolling through his contacts. He fell under 'K'. Conan excitedly read the screen until he found 'Kuroba, Kaito'. "It's here!" He exclaimed in surprise.

The Osakan detective nodded firmly. "Told ya so."

"Thanks a lot Hattori!" Conan said, grinning widely.

"No problem. My question is though Kudou, why 're ya so happy all of a sudden?" He teased, emerald eyes twinkling with mischief.

Conan turned beet red, all the way down to his neck. "I'm not happy... _BAROO_." He grumbled. "I was just worried about him, and I'm glad the problem is solved. That's all." He pouted, crossing his arms and looking away from the cackling detective.

"Happy, glad, same damn dings Kudou! I got ya on dat one!" He laughed cheerfully.

Conan scowled. "What about you and Kazuha then?" He shot back. "I hear you're making no progress." He looked at his friend with 'triumph' written all over his face.

Hattori turned pink. "I don' have da slightest idea 'bout what yer talkin' 'bout." He said quickly.

"Uh huh..." Conan said sarcastically, a smirk on his face now. "Come off it Hattori. I know you love her, just as much as I did Ran, if not more." He teased.

"_KUDOU_!" The Osakan scolded. "I don't love dat ahou! Not in a million years I won't!" Though his red face proved it wrong.

"Well sorry fer bein' such an ahou!" A familiar female voice growled.

Both he and Conan froze in place, turned around, and looked into a pair of familiar teal colored eyes. Hattori face palmed. "Damn it!" He cursed. "What 're ya doin' 'ere Kazuha?" He asked in a whiney tone.

"Ta pick ya up obviously! We're both leavin' taday! Did ya forget dat I stayed at Ran-chan's place?" She asked. But just as Hattori was about to answer, she held her hand up to silence him. The teenaged girl looked in the direction of Conan. "Why, hello Conan-kun. Ran-chan told meh ya'd be on vacation fer another few hours. What 'r ya doin' fifty miles away from da airport ya were gonna be picked up from? Six hours early?" She pressed. Conan pressed his back into the seat in an attempt to cringe.

Conan easily responded. "I came home early because of an emergency from Shinichi-niichan. He got a case and had to leave, so I stayed with Heiji-niichan until he had to leave himself. I was about to head home after the train picked you both up and sent you home." Conan explained cooly, not a single crack in his game face.

Kazuha was completely unconvinced. "Den explain why every time Heiji called ya 'Kudou' dat ya answered durin' yer conversation a few minutes ago."

Conan was silent. "How much did you hear Kazuha-neechan?" He asked after a moment.

"All of it."

Hattori acted. "Now wait jus' a second! What 're ya accusin' 'im of now Kazuha? 'N' didn't Obaa-han ever tell ya not ta listen ta other people's conversations?"

Kazuha looked offended. "I was lookin' fer ya, and found ya. But ya were sayin' 'Kudou!' Right when I was 'bout ta call out ta ya... Den I couldn't speak. Since Conan-kun answered ta it as dough it were 'is name." Kazuha sat down on Conan's other side. "Yer not who ya say ya 're, 're ya?" She asked sadly.

Conan looked away. "Hattori..." He warned, seeing his best friend ready to protest again.

"But-!" The osakan detective began. The small child stopped him with a hand and a slow shake of his head.

Conan faced Kazuha head on. "Listen Kazuha." He began speaking in his most comfortable tone, surprising the girl. "I saw something I shouldn't have at Tropical Land that day. So the guys there tried to shut me up by stuffing a prototype poison down my throat. But like I said. It was a prototype. Instead of killing me with no trace, I shrunk." He explained.

Kazuha's eyes widened as she connected the dots. Sad blue eyes gazed at her, silently begging her not to reveal the truth. "So this entire time, ya were actually at her side?" She asked quietly.

"I already gave you that warning days ago Kazuha. That if you wanted to keep your peaceful life, then you shouldn't dig any deeper. I said that because..." Conan trailed off, unable to say the words.

Luckily, Hattori was there to finish. His emerald eyes were dark with sadness as he spoke. "Kazuha, dey'd kill us all if dey found out. Any person connected with Kudou dat knew anythin' would be murdered. Well enough dat it'd go unsolved. Or framed as a suicide. We can't tell you any more Kazuha..."

"Hattori would bury me alive if I was the reason for your death. Best friend or not." Conan finished seriously.

Kazuha almost laughed. "Wait.. Yer serious?" She asked.

Conan nodded. "I'll give you two a minute to speak. I've gotta make a phone call." He excused himself. When only Hattori could see him, he grinned and gave his friend a thumbs up sign. "Fight-o! Fight-o!" He mouthed, smirking widely.

Conan sneaked away, finding a place out of earshot and then found Kaito's number again. 'Is he awake?' He asked himself. Shinichi asked himself if he himself would go to sleep at this time. 'Yeah... He's probably awake.'

Shinichi pressed the talk button.

"Moshi moshi?" A voice cheerfully answered.

"Kai?" Shinichi asked, shuffling his feet.

"Shin-chan!" The voice replied excitedly. "I knew you'd find my number eventually!" Kaito set his pen down on his desk from working on his KID plans.

"Yeah, I don't appreciate you touching my phone." Shinichi deadpanned.

"Oh, pish posh!" He answered in Hakuba's accent. "Such a thing shouldn't hold private information should it? It may be stolen one day... And who knows? Fall into some white gloved hands." Kaito smiled to himself, wondering if he'd find anything on the detective's phone.

"Kaito..." Conan warned in a low tone.

"Hmm?" Kaito cocked his brow as he listened to the detective's voice. "Where are you, Shin-chan? Your voice is echoing. Don't tell me you're calling from a toilet?" Kaito snickered.

Conan held back a retort. "No. I'm at that train station on the outskirts of Beika-Chou. Hattori and his girlfriend are leaving today." he explained. Kaito hummed back in response. "Anyway. I was calling to see how you were doing." Conan continued.

"...You were worried?" The magician teased, leaning back in his computer chair.

"N-no!" Conan replied quickly.

"You stuttered."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did Shinichi." Kaito made a 'stop lying, you're embarrassing yourself' face.

"Shut up. Anyway, since you were a bit warm before you left my house, I was wondering if you were okay." Conan continued.

"Oh, I'm doing great!" Kaito answered cheerfully. A sudden knock sounded on his bedroom door.

"Kaito! I'm coming in! I have medicine and soup!" His mother's voice called loudly. The magician cursed the god of fate above.

"Kaito..." Conan sighed.

"Sorry, Shin-chan. I just didn't want to worry you..." Kaito answered sadly as his mother walked in. She gasped at the name.

"Are you talking to Shin-chan?! Yukiko's child?!" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah... Why?" Kaito asked.

"Lemme see!" She squealed, taking the phone from his hand. "Hello? Shinichi-kun?"

Conan gasped before quickly taking out his bow tie. "Hello. Mrs. Kuroba I'm guessing." He answered in Shinichi's voice.

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe you two! To think you would meet again after so many years! I think I have to call Yuki-chan!" She squealed loudly.

Shinichi and Kaito both blinked. "Huh?"

"Oh you don't remember?" Chikage looked at Kaito. That's too bad.. You were such great friends before Toichi's death..." She stated.

"We were childhood friends?" Conan asked. "I'm afraid I don't recall that..."

Chikage grinned. "That's fine! You should just come over one of these days! I have an entire album of pictures full of your childhood memories. I can try and jog your memories a bit." She smiled, and signaled to Kaito to start eating his soup.

"I'd love that." Shinichi beamed. "I'll see when I'll be able to make it over. I'm often away from home on cases for work, so I can't promise anything. I'm sure I'll be able to visit soon though." Shinichi explained.

"I understand sweetie. Both you and your father were such mystery fanatics." Chikage grinned. "Well goodnight sweetie. I have to make sure Kaito goes to bed now because he's come down with a fever... Though he can call you again tomorrow!"

"Goodnight, Obaa-san."

"Nope! Not 'Obaa-san'. It's 'Onee-sama'." She sternly scolded.

'A ha ha ha...' Conan deadpanned. "Goodnight Onee-sama." He mimicked. 'She's mom's friend alright.'

Chikage then hung up the phone and handed it to Kaito. "Be careful around him, Kaito. He may be your childhood friend, but he's still a detective." She warned.

"Mom, he already knows. He found me out a few days ago." Kaito groaned, preparing his medication.

"Eh?" Chikage blinked. "Then how come Nakamori-kun hasn't knocked our door down yet?" She looked through the window as though expecting the said man to do it any moment now.

"Apparently, I'm his escape from murders. It's a mystery case without the fact that, at the end of the day, someone has died. He said he enjoys my riddles and entertains himself with the cases I give him." Kaito stated in a somewhat dreamy state. "KID, the magician of the moonlight may have been found out by his favorite detective, but he's sworn that not a word of my secret shall tumble from his lips." Kaito said dramatically.

Chikage smiled knowingly at her son. "And you love him." She concluded.

"Yes, exactly. Wait! No!" Kaito turned a bright red.

"Kaito, you've already admitted it. Now take your medicine and go to bed." She commanded him.

Kaito hung his head. "Hai hai..."

* * *

Conan ended the call and came back to the Osakan pair waiting for him at the bench. Kazuha's hand was intertwined with Hattori's. Conan smirked knowingly.

"I told you...!" He said quietly. "I TOLD you!" He exclaimed excitedly. "What now Hattori! You should pay me for bringing you two together. Who knows how long it would've taken to get you together without me?"

Hattori punched the child over the head like Mouri Kogorou, all pink in the face. "I already gave ya da hint ta Kuroba's phone number. What more do ya want?" He muttered.

Shinichi kicked the Osakan in the shin. Immediately, the target went to hold the injury. "Ahhh~ that felt sooo great! I know I can't kick Occ-chan in the shin after he does that, but I can do it to you!" Conan stretched his arms over his head.

"Heiji?" Kazuha bent over him worriedly.

"Don't worry Kazuha. He'll get over it." Conan reassured the woman. "But still, I don't know if that whole thing was romantic.. Since I have no details... Meh." Conan shrugged. "You'll probably tell Ran, and then I'll hear about it."

Kazuha turned pink. "A-anyway, who were you talking to Shinichi-kun?"

"His boyfriend." Hattori answered for him, smirking slyly at his shrunken friend.

"He's not my boyfriend Hattori!" Conan turned bright pink as he said this.

"He will be soon."

"You're datin' a guy?" Kazuha breathed. "Woah!" She squealed. "Jus' woah! Okay... Who IS he?" Her eyes were bright with enthusiasm.

Hattori leaned in and and whispered into her ear. "Believe it er not, it's Kaitou KID." Kazuha's eyes widened and she looked at Conan.

"NO WAY." She breathed.

"WAY." Hattori replied sarcastically.

Kazuha, so over come with excitement, began to cry. "Oi, Oi. Kazuha. Why are you crying?!" Conan demanded.

"Be-because! I can't faint, er scream 'ere..." She blubbered. "This is jus' amazin' Heiji! Like those television dramas 'n' soap operas!" Kazuha's face was aglow.

"I told you she has a big heart Hattori. She barely knows me, yet she's practically aglow. I half expected her to kick my ass for getting over Ran so soon." Conan said.

"Love doesn't have a timer, Shinichi-kun." Kazuha answered. "When ya fall in love, ya fall in love." She shrugged. After a while, she calmed herself down, staring at the empty train tracks.

Then she looked at her watch. "Didn't we get here way ta early? Da train still hasn't arrived 'n' it's been an hour..." She blinked.

"We came early because you texted us, remember?" Conan shrugged. "What's your excuse?"

Kazuha blinked at them. "I don't have one... 'n' what 'r' ya talkin' 'bout? Heiji, you're da one who texted meh ta get 'ere by ten thirty..." She looked at the two of them strangely, considering the fact that they'd frozen stiff. "Heiji? Shinichi-kun?" She tilted her head to the side.

Only one word passed through Conan's lips. "Run..." He breathed.

Hattori snapped into action, grabbing Kazuha's wrist and pulling her to the nearest exit. Conan followed at their tail. Soon, the small detective had run ahead, finding the quickest routes possible to get them out of the station.

"What's goin' on?!" Kazuha cried as they ran.

"We've been tricked!" Conan explained.

"What?!"

"Someone texted ya usin' our names ta get ya 'ere. 'N' someone texted us ta get us 'ere usin' yer name!" Hattori called back to her. "We've fallen inta a trap!"

"But who would do somethin'-" Kazuha was interrupted by a loud explosion somewhere behind them.

"_THEM_!" Conan and Hattori exclaimed at the same time.

"They've found us out!" Conan exclaimed, rounding a corner and leading them closer to the exit. "But we're way too far ahead! Only this next flight of stairs..." Conan stopped, eyes wide, and breathing set on hold. "Oh my...! No fuckin' way!"

There, before the stairs, was another bomb. Counting down it's final three minutes. "Duck and cover you two, three minutes is long enough!" Conan ordered, pulling a pocket knife out.

Kazuha and Heiji screamed at him to take cover, but the faux child ignored them as his hands feverishly worked to cut the necessary wires. Sweat was stinging his eyes as he worked, but he ignored it. All noises fell upon deaf ears, as the ticking of the bomb got louder every second. Shinichi worked feverishly, though one though was in his head.

"My hands are getting cold..." He muttered to himself. "It's almost freezing..."

The small boy cut an orange wire, and then a yellow one. The next moment, he glanced at the timer, reading a minute and a half. He smiled to himself. "Ha! That's perfect!" He grinned, and began cutting the last ten wires.

But his concentration snapped when it was becoming difficult to move his right hand's fingers. Shinichi realized what was happening too late...

He hadn't had any protein at all after his change as Conan... And now those moments when his hands froze for about a minute or so were taking effect.

* * *

_**~With Kazuha~**_

* * *

Kazuha was the first to notice something was wrong. "Shinichi-kun?!" She called. "That's enough! We can just take cover!" She quickly got up, fighting back against Heiji's restraining arms. The woman ran over to the small boy and picked him up before turning around and running back.

"_KAZUHA_!" Heiji screamed, seeing the total time on the bomb become three seconds.

The teenaged girl glanced back and read the time. She mouthed a few words and threw Conan into Heiji's arms.

* * *

_**~Conan and Hattori's view~**_

* * *

"Kazuha! Run! You can-!" Conan was cut off when he'd been thrown into the air. "Kazuha?!" His eyes wide, the small boy landed in his best friend's arms. "Kazuha!"

"KAZUHA!" Hattori screamed, reaching out for her. She only mouthed a few words in reply, tears streaming down her face.

The last thing he saw, were her widened in shock, teal colored eyes.

* * *

**Ba bam! Done with this chappie! I hope you liked it! Be sure to drop a review for me guys. I want feedback from you! :) I apologize if you see any typos... I went back and changed the ending like... Three times, so the words are swimming on the screen. But I didn't want to keep you waiting!**

* * *

**Review replies!**

Jelp: Actually, Shinichi isn't afraid of the dark. He's afraid of thunder. But I went back and re-read, so I understand how you might've been confused. I was thinking that he might possibly be afraid of cramped places too, but I hadnt meant to put that in. I guess it just slipped in there by my subconsciousness! Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing! And I hope you liked this chapter just as much!


	11. Results

**Chappie Eleven...**

**Hey guys! It's been a little while right? How'd you like last chapter? Pretty depressing huh? Anyway, you know the drill. R&R!**

**I introduce, my OC, Percy! Who, coincidentally, has looks based upon those of Percy Jackson! *nervous laughter***

**Disclaimer: it's **_**FANfiction**_**. Who the hell invented disclaimers on a**_** FANfiction **_**website? **_**Da'hell**_**?**

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

**The Next Morning**

**Kuroba Residence**

**10:23 am.**

* * *

Kaito strolled into his living room. "Morning!" He chirped, flopping down on the couch next to his mother. "Whatcha watchin'?" He asked cheerfully as he picked a green apple off of the fruit basket in front of him. His eyes moved to the TV on the wall before him.

"The news." Chikage answered. "There's been an accident sweetheart. Apparently, some gas pipes were leaking underneath a train station. The entire place blew apart." She sighed.

"That's really unfortunate." Kaito frowned at the screen as he read the captions scrolling by, then he choked. "Which train station?!" He demanded.

Chikage looked in surprise at her son. "The small one on the outskirts of Beika... Why?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

Kaito felt as though an invisible force had thrown him against the wall. He couldn't breathe. His eyes were widened in extreme shock, blankly staring at the screen. The color in his cheeks seemed to he washing out, and now Kaito was as white as a sheet. He dropped his hands to his sides, and the apple hit the floor... Rolling away noisily.

"Kaito?" Chikage asked gently. Her tone gave nothing away to the fact that she was feeling panicked. She hadn't seen Kaito like this since the day he learned that Toichi had died... "Kaito, honey, talk to me! What's wrong?!" She demanded in a shrill voice.

Kaito seemed to snap out of his reverie, swallowing thickly. "C-Conan... H-Heiji-kun.." He stuttered in fear. "_They were at that train station last night_..." He choked out.

_"Oh my-" _Chikage started, but she was interrupted.

"This's just in." A female news reporter began. "Two teenagers and one child who were, unfortunately, caught in the explosion, have just been admitted into the nearest hospital. One of them, is in a critical condition." She said, obviously taking the information from the speaker in her ear.

Kaito's eyes widened even more if possible. "That's him! He was caught in the explosion!" Kaito rushed for his phone.

"Kaito?" Chikage questioned.

The brunette dialed a number quickly and let it ring, tapping a foot impatiently on the floor. The pit of his stomach was bubbling with fear and anxiety.

"_Moshi... Moshi..." _A voice sniffed on the other end.

"Ran-chan!" Kaito cried in relief.

"_Kaito-kun...?" _She asked wearily.

"Hold tight, okay?! I'm coming over right now!" The magician practically hollered into the phone.

Another sniff. "Okay..."

'_She'd been crying... Mostly likely for hours on end.' _Kaito thought as he quickly shoved two slices of bread into the toaster. In the meantime, he ran up stairs, found a jacket, and almost raced out of the room. But a glint on his desk caught his eye... _'Ahh...' _He smirked and grabbed the shiny item before tumbling down the stairs again in his rush.

"Kaito?" Chikage called. "Make sure you give them my regards sweetie." She smiled gently as she shoved the pieces of toast in his hands, except now covered in hazelnut spread. "Nutella fills the stomach when in a rush. Or so I've heard from my friend in Osaka." She grinned.

Kaito gave her a weak smile, thinking back to Mrs. Hattori. "Thanks mom." He hugged her once before dashing out the door, one piece of toast hanging from his mouth.

Kaito barely paused to take a breath during his run to the train station. His mind was running a thousand miles per minute... All of them focused on Shinichi/Conan and his companions. He rudely pushed passed many Japanese commuters at the gates of the station and ran up to buy a ticket. Running through the mini gates, he just barely made it to the next train. Though of course, he was pushed inside to fit at least half of the waiting people on the platform.

'Who would want to push people into trains for a job?' Kaito deadpanned.

He was squished between a smelly Japanese man in his forties, and another shy and quiet (the type that pisses you off with their angelic act) Asian man in his twenties. Kaito took note of the man's wandering fingers, finding them to be offending.

"Pickpocket!" Kaito screeched and pointed at the lad.

_"E-ehhhhhh_?!" The boy stumbled back about half a step, only to bump into another person.

"What'cha say?" A tanned, body builder asked Kaito from behind the pickpocket, cracking his knuckles evilly.

"I saw him! I'm a magician," Kaito paused and did a simple slate of hand coin trick. "So I know how a person needs to move their hands! Now give back what you stole!" Kaito demanded of the young Asian.

The pickpocket scowled and looked at what he'd stolen; Kaito's wallet. A smirk spread over his face as he noticed the picture in the middle. "Heeeh~? You're friends with the little boy who got caught up in the explosion last night?" He smirked evilly at Kaito.

The magician gave him his scariest manic grin the KID ever produced. "That's right sir. Now would you please return that?" He asked in a sweet voice. The pickpocket merely stared at Kaito, clearly unimpressed. Kaito then leaned in towards the criminal, eyes cold, and cruel smirk in place. "I don't like playing childish games." He said, snapping his fingers and turning the pickpocket's hair flaming green before exiting the train.

Kaito was lucky that the criminal was too distracted by his hair to notice him steal back the wallet. He was also lucky that'd he'd been able to time himself so that he'd exit the train ride when it finished. Thank the entities above right?

Kaito usually didn't snitch on pickpockets like that. He usually just stole back the item and returned it to the proper owner without the pickpocket ever noticing. But he'd taken his wallet. The one with Conan's picture on the inside. In that picture, he'd been able to catch Conan smiling gently in deep sleep. His small, lanky body spread across the couch and sunlight enveloping him. Without glasses too, but only because Kaito had removed them for that picture.

As the magician got closer to the hospital, he anxiously fingered the picture in his wallet. When finally reaching his limit, he snapped and ran for the hospital with all his might.

Another teenager who saw Kaito run by blinked. "Haa~?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Just my imagination..."

Kaito raced down the streets and into the same suburb the hospital was in. Immediately, he let out his best taxi cab whistle, causing several of them to stop. The magician snickered to himself once before running into the closest one.

"Where to sir?" The cabbie asked.

"The hospital nearest to the train station on the outskirts." Kaito answered quickly. "I'll pay extra if you make it there in fifteen minutes." He bribed.

The cabbie smirked. "Heh. Long time since I got myself one of these jobs." He mumbled to himself. "Ya one of the friends of the kids in the explosion?" He asked casually as he swiftly maneuvered through the streets.

"Yeah, all of them. The youngest is my brother. The other two my best friends." Kaito lied. "That's why I wanna make it there quickly." He explained.

"I feel ya, man. My mum once gotta stroke 'n' I paid my cabbie 'bout 2,000¥ extra if he made it in ten minutes. The dude got there in seven." The cabbie laughed.

"Desperate guy huh?" Believe it or not, this cabbie was calming his nerves a bit with the conversation.

"Hell yeah." The cabbie used his emerald eyes to look through the rear-view mirror and at Kaito. "I'll tell ya one thing though." Kaito picked up his ears. "It was damn hilarious to watch!" He laughed, making his black curls bounce up and down.

Kaito smiled at the guy. "What's your name?" He asked politely, reaching a hand to shake the other's.

"Percy." Cheerful and amused eyes flickered at him before a strong but pale hand shook his own. "Nice ta meetcha!"

"Kaito." He magician answered.

"Isn't that a pun?"

"You're obviously not fully Japanese..." The thief deadpanned.

"Nah, I'm an American. I came to live in Japan since I was young, but I still can't drop my slang." He chuckled.

Kaito grinned. "I see. I hope we'll get along then, Percy-kun."

"Just Percy please. Honorifics make me feel weird..." The man shivered. Kaito chuckled in response. "Well then Kaito-kun, see ya around!" He chirped cheerfully.

It was then that Kaito realized that the can had come to a stop in front of the hospital. Immediately, Kaito's goofy smile melted off and a look of pained grief flashed across his face. Seriousness then replaced all of that in a new type of poker face.

"Thanks Percy. Here's the tip, as promised." Kaito handed the man the money, but was stopped when the emerald eyed man shook his head.

"Just take this card, 'n' call me if ya ever need another quick cabbie. I'll be right there." The guy grinned, pushing the card into Kaito's hands. "That's enough payment right there."

Kaito gave the man a weak smile. "I will."

Percy gave Kaito a curt nod before rolling up the window and driving away.

Now, the magician had to see Shinichi.

* * *

_Beep... Beep..._

The heart monitor's murmuring was loud in the room. Three separate rhythms resounded in the air, and heavy breathing matched them. Kaito let his eyes wander around the room for a moment, before landing them on Conan's face. It was sickly pale and beaded with sweat. Bandages were wrapped around the small head, and around the thin wrists.

Kaito's heavy eyes gazed at the legs. "Ran-chan... What's the doctor saying?" He asked quietly of the girl next to him.

Ran's eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Her nose kept running, and her face was flushed. Her lips showed signs of bleeding, meaning she had been biting/chewing on them. "Kazuha just went through surgery last night as soon as she came in. Apparently, she's the most injured." The teenager replied in a broken tone of voice. "The doctor says there's a forty percent chance she'll wake up again..." Ran let more tears fall down her face freely before looking into Kaito's eyes. "There's a thirty percent chance that she'll live."

Kaito's eyes widened in shock. "Th-thirty?!" He hissed. Ran only nodded in response.

The magician's eyes looked over Kazuha's broken form. She was bandaged almost everywhere. Her legs were suspended in the air, and both arms in pure white casts. A brace was around her neck, and bandages were evident underneath her thin hospital gown. Her face was whiter than a sheet of paper, and her features were screwed up in pain... Even in her unconscious state.

Kaito let a flower appear from his sleeves; the same one he'd given to Kazuha at the mall trip they had together. He set it into the already full vase of flowers, making sure Kazuha would be able to see it if she awoke. Kaito looked into her face one more time before kissing a hand and sitting next to Ran again.

After a pregnant silence, Kaito spoke again. "What's the doctor saying about Heiji-kun?"

Ran looked at Kaito with a small smile. "He'll be perfectly fine. The doctor says he'll wake up tomorrow, but with a sprained wrist and ankle." Ran chuckled a bit before wiping away some tears.

Kaito smiled at that and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. I was afraid about what I would do without his hotheadedness to keep me going!" He joked.

For Heiji, he left a single wild poppy once more. A grin flashed across Kaito's face as he imagined what the teen's reaction would be. No doubt screaming and yelling and even name calling.

But the magician's face fell as he finally faced the music. "...Ran-chan... What about Conan-kun?" He asked, bringing depressed eyes to lock with hers.

Ran let an agonized frown take over her features before tears spilled down her face. Kaito went over to her side and gripped her shoulders. "H-he..."

"Ran-chan! Get a hold of yourself for just a minute! What happened to Conan?!" Kaito demanded, desperation evident in his eyes, and voice close to hysterics.

"The doctor said he did everything he could. It all depends on Conan-kun's will now." Ran explained. "If Conan-kun has a reason to continue living, then he'll fight this." She said confidently.

"I'm not hearing any bad news yet Ran-chan." Kaito deadpanned.

Ran immediately locked her eyes with his violet ones. "If he does wake up, he'll suffer from paralysis in the lower half of his body." She choked out. "The doctor can't know whether or not it'll be temporary until Conan wakes up and complies with the tests..."

Kaito couldn't hear anything else. His eyes widened in shock and his world abruptly stopped spinning. His mind was blank, albeit the words, _"he'll suffer from paralysis_." Kaito simply slumped back in his chair staring straight ahead blankly.

"Sh-Shinichi..." He mouthed, reaching a hand out towards Conan's. Kaito grasped the small hand in his own two and set his forehead on them.

_"Please wake up... Please..."_

* * *

**Chappie over! How do you like this so far? I'd really like your opinions guys! Thanks for reading!**

**~Crescent T. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chappie Twelve.**

**Guess what guys?! I'm officially back! I've just finished my Confirmation class business, so I'll have everyday to write! Expect more updates and longer chappies! ;D **

**Disclaimer: ya... No.**

* * *

_**** Shakespeare quote from the play, Hamlet. Or Zetsuen no Tempest.**_

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

Kaito had refused to leave the hospital. Family members were allowed to stay, but only one for each patient. Ran-chan had easily handed over her spot to Kaito, saying they'd take turns every night.

When the nurse came in, she spoke in a clear and strong voice. "Visiting hours are now over. Can I ask which one of you is staying the night?"

Kaito raised his hand about half way. "That would be me, m'am." He said.

"Okay." The nurse nodded. "Which patient?"

"Conan Edogawa."

"Relationship?"

"Elder brother."

"Last one: name?"

"Kudou Shinichi." Kaito lied smoothly, noticing the nurse's suspicious look. "I was trailing a suspect with the police before this, under this disguise. Forgot to take it off before I left, but all it is is colored contacts and ruffled hair." Kaito explained, looking directly into the woman's eyes.

"Ah. I see. Well then, Mouri-san, would you like me to lead you out? Or do you already know the way?" The nurse asked, turning to Ran.

"Oh, please show me the way." Ran agreed, then she turned to Kaito. "I'll be back as soon as visiting hours open again, okay?" She said before leaving the room.

Kaito smiled briefly at her. "Okay." And then she was gone.

The magician left the lamp next to Conan's bed on, deciding to turn off the others so that the patients could sleep. For a reason unbeknownst to him, Kaito wanted to do anything he could to make them comfortable. After all, two of them were his friends, and the other someone he treasured. To him, Shinichi was a star. Out of reach, but still there to treasure. Or a rose; beautiful in its own way, but untouchable due to its sharp thorns.

All Kaito wanted was his friends and family safe. They were all his important people, considering that he liked to keep most of them _more _than arms length away. Just because he was afraid that he'd slip up one day and loose all of them. His mother, Aoko, Nakamori-Keibu. Akako, Hakuba (though he hated to admit it) and Jii-chan. Then it was his circle of friends with Tantei-kun. Ran-chan, Sonoko-chan, Kazuha-chan, and Heiji-kun. Not to mention the Hakase, Sciency-neechan, and the Shounen Tantei-Dan. (Unfortunately, he'd bonded with those children during the heists to take Josephine's ring and Artemis's Tear.) And finally, his beloved Shinichi. All he wanted was for them to be safe, but he'd picked too many people to do so.

It could very well be his fault that two of his friends and his beloved were injured.

Deep into his thoughts, the magician hadn't noticed how much time had passed. A glance at his watch with glowing hands told him that it was three thirty am. Kaito flipped open his phone, finding that his mother had texted him once.

'_How long will you be gone?_'

Kaito replied, knowing his mother would see it when she awoke.

'_Will be back soon, probably for lunch_.'

In a separate text, he sent, '_Teen Girl: critical, 30% chance of survival. Teen boy: sprained wrist and ankle. Should wake up later today. Child boy: paralysis in lower half of body, possibly temporary_.'

Then the phone was shut off and put away. After all, he needed to preserve his battery power. The magician thief lied back in his chair, closing his eyes in deep thought.

How could time be *****thrown out of joint***** so suddenly? This didn't make any sense. One minute, he was plowing forward to improving his relationship with Shinichi after the B.O. was taken down. Then the next, he was sitting in a hospital room with two people who might not ever open their eyes again. Shinichi, well, Kaito knew he would wake up. After all, the detective never wanted to leave things unfinished. Yet, there was a small voice in the darkest pits of his subconscious... Telling him that there was a chance that Shinichi had finally gotten tired of it all and given into the tempting song of eternal slumber.

His mind switched topics to Hattori. Kaito was extremely glad the hot-blooded detective would wake up. With that, some cheerfulness would spread through the odd circle of people attached to all three patients. He knew it was his own job to do that, but with Conan like this, he could barely bring himself to simply smile. It felt as though his already fragile world suddenly crashed around him. Thankfully, that hot-blooded, comical, and kind detective would back him up when he needed it.

The magician let his eyes travel to Kazuha. That was one subject he couldn't decide on. He felt as though Kazuha was his friend, but he, himself, wouldn't be effected if the girl didn't make it. Possibly in an indirect way, judging by the intimacy of her and Heiji-kun. Kaito shrugged it off, deciding that he would resolve his emotions later.

The magician had already forsaken blissful sleep. Now don't get him wrong, the guy could sleep anywhere. If he was tired enough, Kaito could sleep through a 7.0 earthquake without even twitching. Such a thing was ironic considering that he was a thief. Though it wasn't that he didn't want to sleep tonight. It was more like he was_ afraid _to. If he did, who knows what kind of nightmares he would see? Would consume him? It sent shivers down his spine to even lean his thoughts toward the topic.

Kaito bought his chair closer to Conan's hospital bed. Gazing at the pale, but obviously relaxed, face. Sweat was no longer visible on his brow as before, and his face was no longer twisted in intolerable pain. Heck, if Kaito didn't hear the heart monitor beside him, he would've thought the boy had welcomed death and accepted eternal slumber. Weariness crinkled Kaito's own brow as he gently poked the little boy's cheek. Then traced his jaw line. His wandering hands finally settled for simply petting Shinichi's hair. If you'd been watching the scene from afar, it would've been unbearable to see the pain and worry on Kaito's face. After all, it was his _lover-turned-child-and-caught-in-an-explosion _that was lying in that cold hospital bed.

A soft moan echoed through the room, and Kaito was so tired, that he had to do a double take on the fact that it wasn't his own. Immediately, violet eyes were wide open, and their owner was standing on his feet, clearly alert. Kaito searched for the source of the noise frantically. Eyes zoomed from Kazuha to Heiji. It couldn't have been Conan since Kaito was just sitting next to the unconscious child. The teen searched feverishly for a sign, any sign, that one of the two was awake. The moment he left the bedside of Edogawa Conan, emerald eyes snapped open.

"Awww shit! What da fuck happened?"

... Well, those weren't the first words the thief had expected.

Kaito dashed over and turned on the detective's lamp at the bedside. "H-H-Heiji-kun!" Kaito stuttered. "Oh thank Kami! How do you feel?!" The magician asked.

"Woah! Where'd ya come from Kuroba? 'N' where am I?" He demanded.

"Okay." Kaito relaxed and sat back into a chair next to Heiji's bedside. "Listen. Yesterday, you, Kazuha, and Shinichi were caught in that explosion at the train station. Remember that?" Kaito began gently. Once the Osakan nodded, he plowed on. "Perfect. You were rushed into the hospital as soon as possible. The doctor said you'd wake up later today, but you have a sprained ankle and wrist." Kaito explained quietly.

Heiji was quiet for a minute or so, deep in thought. "So what happened ta Kazuha and Kudou?" He asked, quietly. His emerald eyes looked as though they belonged to a gargoyle's, considering how they pierced through Kaito's poker face. This wasn't something the poker face could help him with now. Besides, Heiji-kun had a right to know.

"Kazuha is in the worst situation of all." Kaito began shakily, struggling to control his tone of voice and force his face into a neutral look. After a moment, all slipped into place. "Whatever I tell you, it is the truth. Do not overreact with anger or fear or any other emotions. Please, just listen." Kaito instructed.

"Fine."

"Kazuha..." Violet eyes locked with emerald ones. "Has a forty percent chance of waking up." He stated calmly, his voice ringing out clearly and firmly. "And a thirty percent chance of survival."

"N-no way..." Heiji-kun turned his head both ways to see where Kazuha was. Tears freely rolled down his cheeks when he saw her, in bandage galore. "K-Kazuha..." His voice was broken, reflecting his shattered heart completely. Kaito handed a tissue to the detective's uninjured arm. Gratefully, the detective took it and dabbed his eyes. "Ahou. Had ta run out like dat. Ahou. Ahou. Ahou." He mumbled, wiping at his tears. Eventually, his emotions overwhelmed him, and he couldn't even say 'Ahou' anymore. Kaito let the detective have his space.

The magician went back over to Shinichi's hospital bed, clutching the detective's hand. When the Osakan detective calmed himself, he called out to Kaito again. "Kuroba, what's da deal wit' Kudou?"

Kaito really did try to slam his best poker face into place, but it utterly failed in this situation. "H-He'll be fine! The doc did everything he could to help. It's all on whether or not he wants to wake up, but I know he'll pull through." Kaito said confidently, but the stutter at the very beginning of his explanation made the Osakan suspicious.

"I'm not hearin' any bad news yet Kuroba."

Kaito let out a strained laugh. "I said the same thing to Ran-chan..."

"Kuroba..." Hattori warned.

"D-don't worry! It's not as bad as Kazuha or anything. He'll definitely live!" Kaito said nervously, raising his hands up and waving them around. He was afraid to see the detective's reaction to this one of he was so emotional towards Kazuha. "He might wake up paralyzed in the lower half of his body..." Kaito said quietly.

"What?!" Heiji hissed, lifting his head up off the pillow to look at the magician.

"Relax! You need to stay calm. Apparently, the doc doesn't know if it's temporary or not." The magician stated, watching Hattori's face closely. "Until he does some tests when Shinichi wakes up, he won't know, okay? So please, just relax." Kaito put both hands up and together in a _'maa maa, just relax' _statement.

Hot-blooded was _really_ difficult to handle. After all, you never knew how they'd react to something. Kaito sighed before looking helplessly at the Osakan, eyes were weary, and bags were hanging underneath.

Hattori searched his face with piercing emerald eyes. "So how 're ya takin' dis?" He asked quietly, finding the remote for his bed and adjusting it so he sat up.

Kaito just stared weakly and wearily at the Osakan. "I'm scared." He whispered, feeling his poker face finally shatter underneath the detective's gaze.

"Why?" He asked. After a pause he added, "Of what?"

Kaito sighed tiredly, his shoulders sagging and brow crinkled in intense worry. "What if he really does feel like he can't go on? What if he doesn't want to wake up? What if I'm not a good enough reason for him to wake up?" Kaito asked, voice cracking in some places as he slumped into a chair. "What should I do if he doesn't wake up?"

Heiji was silent for a while, emerald eyes in the shadows boring deep into Kaito's soul. "Kuroba," he began. "All I've been hearin' is, '_what if' _scenarios. I've known Kudou long enough dat '_what if' _is only in 'is dictionary durin' a case. Kuroba, Kudou wakin' up is not a case, 'cause ya already know da answer." Heiji chuckled a bit here. "We bot' know dat Kudou'll wake up. 'N' soon."

Nevertheless, Kaito still eyed Hattori with worry. "But what if-" he tried.

Heiji let out an angry sigh. "Look Kuroba, would ya give in if ya still had somethin' ta do? I know dat as KID, yer searchin' fer a specific jewel. Would ya give up lookin' fer dat jewel if ya were in da same situation?" Demanding eyes bore straight into Kaito's and he shook his head. "Dat's what I thought." Hattori nodded in aprroval.

"Why?"

"'Cause if anythin', Kudou would neve' wanna leave ya alone. He'll stick ta ya like a bug eventually." Heiji grinned at the magician and Kaito stared for a moment.

After turning over what Heiji said to him, the thief slowly let his lips form a genuine smile. "Yeah... I guess you're right..." He said softly.

"Damn right I am!" The Osakan took his uninjured hand and slapped the magician in the thigh while laughing.

Kaito deadpanned. "Keep it up and you'll be just like Nakamori-keibu... Or maybe Mouri-Tantei?" Heiji stared at him with wide eyes full of fear in response to his mumbling. Kaito doubled over in laughter.

"Awww, _shaddup_!" Heiji turned pink down to his neck in embarrassment. Kaito kept grinning at him, even when the detective had calmed down. "Uh... Kuroba, what time's it?"

"Sorry, I didn't understand the last part..." Kaito sweat dropped, allowing a nervous smile to cross his face as he scratched his cheek. Of course, using his index finger.

"What. Time. Is. It." The Osakan ground out, glaring daggers at the magician before him.

Kaito grinned, checking his watch. "Uh... Four thirty?"

"Have ya slept at all?!" A glare.

"Nope." A grin. "Why do you care?" Confusion flashed passed Kaito's face.

"If Kudou can't do it right now, I'll take care of ya. At least 'til he wakes up." A dark, scarlet, blush colored Heiji's cheeks. "But.. Uh.. I can't really help ya wit' any of yer.. Uh... _romantic_ urges..."

Kaito's eyes grew wide, and a dark blush, ten times worse than Heiji's colored his entire face and neck. Then the penny dropped. In shock, the magician threw a smoke bomb and colored Heiji's hair the same color as his blush. _"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" _Kaito demanded, embarrassment clouding his better judgement.

"_Kuroba_!"

It was then that the magician realized what he'd done. "Oh my gosh. Heiji-kun! I'm so sorry!" He bowed in apology.

"Next time, I'll jus' keep my offers ta myself..." He grumbled. "But anyway, I'mma be up fer a little longer. Go 'head 'n' sleep, 'r Kudou'll kill ya. I mean it."

Kaito sighed. It was the least he could do for the Osakan since he couldn't tell him about the hair dye... The magician grinned maniacally before flipping open his phone. "Heiji-kun, just one more thing."

"Haa?" The detective turned to Kaito with a blank face and scarlet hair. Kaito snapped the picture.

"G'Night." The magician grinned before going over to Conan's bedside, turning off the light, and closing his eyes. All before the Osakan Detective could react to his actions.

"'Night, dammit."

* * *

When Kaito woke up, people were crowding Hattori in hushed whispers of excitement.

"Awwuhh! Ya woke 'im." Came Heiji's voice.

All the people turned to Kaito. The magician easily recognized Mouri-Tantei, Ran-chan, and Mrs. Hattori. Though three other men and another woman were there too. A man with a large scar, a fat and short man, and a mean looking cop.

"Kaito-kun, Hattori-kun tells me you were up until four thirty..." Ran easily became a demon, her hands on her hips and a full on glare.

Kaito cringed, not prepared for something like this in the morning. "Uh..." He scrambled for an excuse. "No...?" He squeaked.

The adults laughed heartily at the teen's fear of Ran. But Mouri-Tantei had to speak. "So who are you? Ran said that you would explain..."

Kaito shot a grateful glance to the girl, who smiled in reply. "I'm Conan's step-brother, Kuroba Kaito."

At this, everyone but Heiji and Ran was taken aback. "Then how come we're taking care of the brat?" Mouri-Tantei demanded.

Kaito looked unemotionally towards the detective. "Our family life is in turmoil. I've been disowned by our father, because I wanted to become a magician instead of going into law." He explained, pulling the back story off from a character in a book he was reading. "My mother passed away, so I'm on my own. I have work, so as much as I want to, I can't take care of Conan. The only thing I could do is visit."

"How come you didn't visit us before?"

"I went home to search for him, thankfully our father was out on a business trip. Then my step-mother told me he was with you." Kaito then sweat dropped. "Uh.. Mouri-Tantei, is all of this questioning necessary?"

"Yeah, Oji-san, let off fer a while. 'Is little brother's in a critical condition." Heiji backed up the magician, fearing the he wouldn't be able to spin any more tales.

"Whatever." He huffed, realizing that he'd easily become the bad guy.

"Now it's my turn... I know Ran-chan, Mouri-Tantei, and Mrs. Hattori, but who are the others?" Kaito asked innocently.

Ran-chan did the introductions. "This is Mr. Hattori." She began, gesturing to the man with the scar over his face.

"The roun' 'n' happy guy's Otaki-han, a subordinate in da police force workin' fer pops." Heiji said, pointing to the round and fat man. The said man grinned at Kaito in response.

Ran moved on to the other cop, who's face seemed pretty long. "This is Kazuha-chan's father." She smiled at him.

"Ah, I assumed as much." Kaito smiled at the group of people. "It's nice to meet you all." He smiled politely.

"Ya too." Mr. Hattori said politely.

Then Mrs. Hattori approached. "Is it safe ta assume ya were da one ta dye Heiji's hair red?" She whispered between giggles. "I've prevented anyone from tellin' 'im... But.."

Kaito's face slowly spread into a maniac grin, and since Ran was talking to Heiji, the adults were able to catch on. "Oh don't worry! I already took a picture. I can send to your cell phone if you like." Then he called to Heiji. "Vinegar, baking powder, and children's chalk powder."

"Haaa?" Everyone else just laughed and grinned at Heiji or Kaito.

A sudden speed in beeps perked everyone's attention to the head monitors. "Who's is it?" Mouri-san asked aloud.

Kaito took a look a Conan's face, seeing it scrunched in pain or fright. He then turned to the heart monitor. "It's Conan's everyone..."

That caught everyone's attention. "Should I call the nurse?" Ran asked, worry creasing her brow.

Kaito looked at the black screen that was becoming familiar to him. Red, blue, yellow, and green decorated the background. Red was large numbers, blue for blood pressure, yellow for smaller readings, and green for the wave lines. A glance at the brain waves made Kaito breathe easier. "No. He's just having a nightmare." The magician dissolved the tension in the room with a simple sentence and grin.

Ran openly let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad it wasn't a health issue..." She said to Mrs. Hattori, who agreed with her.

"What a troublesome brat..." Mouri-san sighed, scratching the back of his head with his left arm.

Ran shot him a glare. "You say that, but you were more worried than I was. Staring at the clock in your office all of this morning, just waiting for visiting hours to open up. Especially since you couldn't make it last night while on your business trip."

Kaito and the rest of the room's occupants laughed at Mouri-san's embarrassment, glad for some type of laughter in the room that wasn't forced. Though Kaito was more worried about Conan's nightmare than anything else.

'He barely makes a face like that unless he's in obvious pain.' Kaito thought, his face showing his emotions for once; vexed or perplexed. 'What kind of nightmares would my Tantei-kun have?' Conan was more likely to have nightmares than Shinichi, especially because children liked to focus on one specific thing through out the day. It didn't matter if they had a seventeen year old's mind, there was always one thing staring you in the face.

That was why Kaito worried. The magician himself had nightmares every night. Well.. Almost. Only when put under stress, such as preparing a KID heist. As a result, he was always slightly tired. Last night had been a bad idea for sleeping, especially since he would've had a nightmare. Though, after having such a spirit-lifting conversation with Heiji-kun, his stress had been momentarily forgotten. And that moment was all he needed to be able to fall asleep.

Kaito, being so understanding, grasped Conan's hand tightly, strong worry bearing heavily on his brow. For a moment, he even believed the index finger he was holding had twitched. Kaito put that aside as worry showing him things he wanted to see. However, the finger twitched again... and this time, Kaito knew he had felt it.

"C-Conan?!" He asked desperately of the unconscious boy. All conversation and noise in the room seemed to mute and all eyes were on him. They saw Kaito still holding onto Conan's hand and leaning forwards in his chair anxiously. They also saw intense hope and worry scrawled all over the said magician's face.

A soft, soprano-toned moan was heard in the silence of the room. Albeit the never ending (hopefully) beeping of the heart monitors.

Suddenly, Conan's heart rate sky rocketed, and the child shot up. "Kazuha!" He screamed, hands reaching out before him as though his memories were being replayed.

Conan's eyes were wide and filled with tears, and his face was twisted into agony. He was breathless, as though his breath had gotten caught in his throat. Slowly, he seemed to recognize his surroundings, and the boy's face cleared into a look of utter failure.

"C-Conan-kun?!" Ran choked out, surprising the boy out of his trance.

He looked up at her, fake smile plastered and eyes filled with false twinkles of joy. "Ran-neechan!" He chirped, opening his arms when she charged towards him.

Ran gently hugged the boy for awhile. "Conan-kun, I'm so sorry." She said, her eyes closed as tears threatened to fall.

Conan let out a small laugh, which easily turned into a cough. "For what Ran-neechan? You didn't do anything wrong." He patted her back before gently pushing her away. "I should be the one apologizing. I came back earlier than planned, but but didn't go straight home."

Conan then turned to the rest of the people in the hospital room, who had silently been watching on. Brief surprise crossed over his face before he smiled sweetly like an angel. "Wow... Everyone came!" He chirped.

"Damn straight, dey did!" A male Osakan voice called out from across the room.

"Heiji-niichan!" Conan blinked in his direction. "How did we get the same room..?" He deadpanned, making everyone laugh lightly.

"Ya! Thanks fer da welcome Ku-Ko... I mean, Conan!" Hattori grumbled.

"I'm so glad they put Kazuha in between us..." Conan smiled at the Osakan teen, as though what he'd said wasn't offensive at all.

More laughter.

"Mou... Conan-kun te ba... Isn't that a little mean?" Ran bopped his nose.

Conan looked genuinely concerned. "Was it? I only meant it because this way, we can both see her..."

A chorus of 'Ohs' sounded in the room. However, a solemn Kogorou interrupted them. "He still hasn't greeted him yet." He pointed out.

Kaito, who had jumped up in surprise at Conan's way of awakening, had been hiding in the shadows this entire time. He stepped out, small traces of worry left on his face.

Conan's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped slightly. "K-Kaito-niichan..." He whispered in surprise.

"How about we give them some space? It doesn't seem like they've met for quite some time now." Ran suggested quietly to the other adults. They agreed and silently filed out of the room.

"I'mma take a nap." Heiji said, turning to the wall as to give the couple some privacy. And in no time, his breathing became rhythmic.

Shinichi seemed a bit guilty. "I'm sorry..." He apologized, bowing his head to the thief.

"For what?" Kaito asked, his tone emotionless.

Shinichi winced. "For worrying you..."

After a tense pause, Kaito spoke. "You better be..." He sighed, coming closer and gathering the boy into his arms.

Conan was silent, embracing the magician back. His small face was buried into the crook of his neck. Kaito then hugged the boy a bit tighter, shoulders gently rattling. It was when Kaito took a shaky breath did Conan figure out that the thief was crying.

"Kaito..." He whispered. "Please don't cry..." Shinichi begged, voice cracking in places.

Kaito then pulled away roughly, before smashing his lips against the boy's. Immediately, Shinichi went red, and the heart monitor went haywire. The magician smirked into their kiss before pulling away.

"You scared the fucking shit out of me."

Conan deadpanned. "Then you better not be wearing the same pants."

Kaito was silent for a moment before dropping his head into Conan's lap, shoulders shaking with laughter. The miniature detective smiled gently at him, petting his head.

_He was happy. So happy that he'd gotten to see Kaito again._

* * *

**End of chappie! Phew! That was quite a long one wasn't it? I'm sorry if your eyes hurt right about now, but I'm bored and on summer vacation... **

**Anyway, who's glad that I didn't make you all wait a couple of chapters for Conan to wake up? **

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!**

* * *

**~Crescent T.**


	13. 13 Equals Bad Luck

**Chappie Thirteen. **

**Family! Friends! FanFiction addicts of all ages! (Haha, that one is actually pretty good, ya gotta admit.) I welcome you to the thirteenth chapter! Bwuhahahahahaha! I wish you all... Bad luck. **

**Disclaimers: I do not own the Wii, or any DC/MK characters. Arigatou gosaimasu! **

***= Directly taken from the song, "Radioactive" to add more to the mood.**

**Name Wexler taken from the mystery novel: **_**The Westing Game**_

_**(Instead of line breaks, I'll be using comments in parenthesis!) **_

**Normal POV **

After their small, personal reunion, Kaito quickly explained the relationship between them that he had made up to Shinichi. The chibi-Tantei had deadpanned once he had heard the history had been pulled from a character in a book series the magician adored. Kaito had been noticing a stare on him the entire time he had been with Conan, and he knew it wasn't Heiji-kun.

Kaito looked around, sporting one, spying Ran at the door. He walked over to the door, opening it wide and stepping out. The adults immediately silenced themselves.

With an evil chuckle and maniac grin, Kaito grabbed Ran's arm. "Ran-chan, Conan wants to talk to you..." He said in a sing-sing voice.

She gulped, turning to the adults before mouthing, 'help me!' Everyone just avoided her gaze. After all, they had seen results from Heiji about what could happen if you rubbed the magician the wrong way.

"No, no." Kaito playfully scolded, as though he were a kindergarten teacher. "There'll be none of that." He pulled her inside and closed the door.

"Ran-neechan?" Conan questioned, eyes locking with the thief's as of asking for an explanation.

Kaito smiled wearily. "Yeah... Actually, she found out that I'm KID. I was powerless against her deducing power!" Kaito pretended to faint.

"Conan-kun, I figured it out because your little guest liked to come during the night, and left roses. So a gentleman would fit the criteria. But one that came into the house without a single noise?" Ran giggled. "That was the biggest clue."

"So you knew I was hiding KID?" Shinichi stared up at her, gaping widely.

"She also knows about our relationship..." Kaito sweat-dropped. "Also a guess due to all the roses I left behind each time I visited." By this time, both teenagers had sat down in the chairs.

Conan seemed uncertain, looking at Ran guiltily. "Ran-neechan... You're not angry at us?" He asked quietly, searching her face.

Ran shook her head. "I was a little bit in the beginning, because of your age differences. I had believed that KID was just a pedophile." Kaito gaped at her as she turned to him. "No offense."

"Pssssh! None taken!" Kaito said sarcastically.

"However, I had remembered the last heist I had taken you to. The one with all the pink sleeping gas." Ran continued, ignoring Kaito completely.

Conan's face turned red, remembering the details of that heist himself. The heart monitor at his bedside made a strange sound. "A-and?" He stuttered.

"I had seen KID scoop you up bridal style and place a kiss on your forehead." She said bluntly.

Conan made a strangled noise, and released a bit of strangled laughter. "I knew we would be found out eventually, but I thought Hakuba-niisan would be first." Conan deadpanned.

Ran smiled. "So? What do you two plan to do? I mean, it seems like Conan-kun will be stuck here for a while." She said, looking at both of them. The two thought for a moment.

"I'll bring something to keep you occupied!" Kaito chirped. "I had invited Shinichi-kun to the arcade, but he told me he was bad at games. He asked if I would teach Conan-kun here, who seems to be much worse." Kaito winked at the chibi-Tantei, and Shinichi remembered his own words from the plane heist.

"So you're planning to bring me a game?" Conan deadpanned.

"We'll play it together! I just bought a red-colored Wii! Though I would've preferred white..." Kaito's face was showing slight disappointment. "But it's fine because it came with a fun game!"

Conan laughed at the teenager's behavior. "What's with you? Laughing one moment, and then disappointed the next." 'Like a girl having mood swings.' He added mentally.

Two knocks came at the door, and the doctor walked in. "Edogawa-kun?" She asked, looking up from her clipboard. "Ah, you're awake!" The woman chirped. "It's nice to meet you Edogawa-kun. I'm Dr. Wexler."

"Nice to meet you too, Sensei." Conan smiled at the woman.

Dr. Wexler was a beautiful young woman, with hair just like Haibara's, but slightly shorter. Her eyes were a dark grey color, and she had a nice body. It was obvious that the woman took care of herself. She wore a sweater and jeans underneath her 'lab coat.' Conan smiled. Dr. Wexler was just what Conan had imagined Miyano Shiho to be like if she had never known the B.O.

"Ah, are you half English?" Kaito chirped, looking up at the woman from his seat.

Wexler-Sensei looked down at him and blinked. "Most people only ask of I'm English. How did you know I was a half?" She asked, staring down at Kaito with wonder.

"Hakuba-niisan has the same accent!" Conan laughed.

"Hakuba-niisan?"

"A half-Brit detective who's in my class." Kaito waved it off. "But he does have the same type of accent, which is why I knew."

"Deducing Otakus!" Ran stuck her tongue out at the both of them.

"Me?" Kaito asked with the upmost bewilderment. It was supposed to be comical. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't associate me with detectives Ran-chan." He deadpanned.

"You are associated with one. Romantically." Ran pointed out, giggling at the thief's loophole.

"Oh yeah..." Kaito grinned.

Wexler-sensei smiled at the teenager's antics, noting that the child beside them was pink faced and that the heart monitor was acting irregular. "So Conan-kun is a detective too? That's amazing!" She cooed, bending down to be at eye level with Conan.

"Pshhh! He's famous!" Kaito grinned. "For being the only person who has ever gotten close to Kaitou KID." He winked at the child who quickly averted his gaze, face now red.

"So this is the child who defeats Kaitou KID?!" smirked. "You're actually physically smaller than I had imagined..." Conan immediately scowled. "For being able to catch up to KID's running." The doctor quickly amended.

Conan relaxed. "He just likes waiting for me at the rooftop. There's no need for me to run so fiercely." Conan smirked knowingly at Kaito.

The magician pouted, and the doctor looked between the two. _'Ohhh, I get it!' _She grinned at the two knowingly. The doctor kept her mouth shut.

She stretched her arms over her head. "Finally! Some entertainment!" She sighed, ignoring the strange looks the boys were giving her. "Now Conan-kun. If you wanna take Kaito-san with you, we can go and do some tests." She smiled brightly at the child, immediately back in her doctor mode.

"What a poker face." Kaito watched the woman amusedly.

_'Ditto.' _Conan thought. Quickly, the child amended his little game face and smiled sweetly at the doctor. "Okay, Wexler-sensei! It's about my legs right?" His bright sapphire eyes stared at her.

Everyone in the room was silent.

"You expected me not to notice?!" Conan gasped at the teens at his bedside. "They're my legs! Of course I would realize that they were paralyzed!"

"It's true." The doctor admitted carefully. "During paralysis, not only do you lose all control in the legs, but you also don't feel anything in them. That would be due to the nerves." She explained simply.

"So someone find me a wheelchair." Conan said calmly.

"I'll go!" Ran chirped. She was beginning to become suspicious of the doctor, who had asked Conan to take Kaito instead if her. Why? The doctor should know that she was Conan's legal guardian.

"I'll be right back, I forgot to get a specific clipboard in my office, three floors down." The doctor lied, wanting to leave the two alone.

Then she was gone. "Dr. Wexler just totally lied." Kaito observed. "I think she knows who I am and what I am to you."

Conan nodded. "The hint was when she asked you to come with me and not Ran. Every doctor checks to see who they're meeting with before they head in." Conan looked at the door. "And she mentioned that her office was three floors down, deliberately telling us that we have time."

Kaito smiled at the detective, his eyes half-lidded as his gaze intensified. "I wonder what she wanted us to do?" Kaito breathed out lazily.

Conan noticed that gaze immediately. "You realize that every time you look at me like that, I know that you are having, _'naughty thoughts_?'" Conan pointed out.

"This magician has always been perverted. Since when have I not had dirty thoughts?" Kaito cocked an eyebrow at his favorite critic. Then he rose from his seat and put his hands on either side of Conan on the bed. "Besides," he breathed huskily into the detective's ear. "I just wanted one of these." He smirked before passionately kissing the detective.

Immediately, the heart monitor that was next to Conan's bedside went haywire, and he turned pink. But instead of remaining stock-still, he allowed himself to indulge into the kiss. His mind powered off, and he entered a daze. All he knew was that Kaiot was kissing him, and that he needed to respond! His lips began moving against Kaito's quickly, as though he _needed_ the thief's advances. This time, it was Conan who had slipped his tongue through Kaito's parted lips and attacked the small muscle inside.

Kaito smiled into the kiss, and attacked back. The boys fought for dominance before Kaito suddenly pulled away, panting. "Someone's coming. Slow your heart rate." He instructed the boy. Then a playful grin and wink was sent towards the miniature detective. "We can always continue this tonight. I know an entrance."

Conan slightly nodded at the thief. But then shook his head. "Hattori is here, in case you didn't notice."

"I read the doctor's files. He'll be discharged this afternoon, since his vitals are normal and he's been resting well enough." Kaito said as Ran came into the room with a wheel chair, followed by the doctor who seemed apologetic behind them.

_'I tried to stall her...' _She barely mouthed to Kaito, an apologetic face still there.

_'Thank you. We got what we needed done.' _He mouthed back as Ran eased Conan into the wheelchair.

The doctor beamed at that information before clapping her hands! "So! Ready for a physical?" She smiled at Conan.

"A physical? Like the same ones you do if you're trying out for a sport?" Conan looked up her, clearly confused.

"Yup!" The strawberry blonde doctor chirped.

_**~LATER~**_

The chibi-Tantei frowned as he was pushed out of he testing room. _'That was very easy. The doctor must have a lot of experience.' _He thought to himself, before meeting Kaito's eyes. The magician had been forced to wait outside of the testing room.

Pushing the wheel chair behind him, was Dr. Wexler. She was smiling happily and chatting with the small detective below her. The young lady locked eyes with Kaito, the magician's pleading for information. Together, they all started heading back to the room.

Tense air gathered around the three as the doctor, Conan, and Kaito all stared at each other. Here were the results. _'This is it, the apocalypse.__*****__' _Kaito thought, hands clenched together in a praying motion.

The doctor stared at him, and Conan's face was blank. "Well Kaito-san, I'm afraid that..." The air grew even tighter, seeming to suffocate Kaito.

"That the paralysis is temporary." Conan grinned at the magician, happy that the doctor had agreed to act with him.

Kaito, who seemed ready to burst into tears, howled at the two. "How is that bad news?!" He cried glomping his favorite detective affectionately.

"It's bad news because I'll still be going after KID when I've healed in two months." Conan winked at the thief in front of him, grinning madly.

"Oh, that _is_ bad news..." Kaito thought aloud. "For him!" He treated everyone to a maniac grin.

"Two months. If he can hold off his heists for two months, then he won't be disappointed to not find me at the rooftop as usual." The faux child sighed dramatically. "I wonder what he'll do without my challenges? He'll most likely make things even _harder_ for the task force!" Conan seemed genuinely upset the his recovery would take so long. He grinned up at the doctor, who nodded in agreement.

"How long does he need to stay in the hospital?" Kaito asked, wondering if he'd get to visit the detective at his own home.

"The entire two months." But then again, Ran would most likely keep him at her own house, and not allow him to go to "the Hakase's."

"That's okay." Kaito shrugged. "As long as he gets his own room." He grinned at the doctor, who smirked at the magician. Of course, Kaito wanted to be able to visit his detective during the night too.

"That can be arranged." Dr. Wexler cooed, still smirking at the pair. "Right now even." The doctor pushed open a door next to Conan's previous room.

As Conan wheeled himself in, Kaito mouthed, _'Thank you.' _

The woman winked at him. _'Thought you might need this.' _She smirked at him before going next door to Ran and informing her of the room change.

"She must've found time to do this when she 'went to go and get her clipboard.'" Conan mused, admiring the spacious room.

"Stop ruining the magic. She did it so I could visit you nightly." Kaito turned his nose up at the mini detective as he sat down in the computer chair for the doctors.

Conan blushed at the implications, thanking the heaven's above that he _didn't _have a heart monitor strapped to him. Those seemed to ruin the moments, and tell everyone in the room about what was happening.

"Help me get in this bed." Conan demanded, looking at the hospital bed.

Kaito picked his critic up and set him down underneath the covers, and then moved in next to him. Immediately, the magician flipped the flat screen TV in the room on. The news popped up before them, showing information on the latest bombing still.

Ran walked in. "I'm so happy that it's temporary!" She smiled down at her '_little brother.'_ "Aren't you so lucky?"

Conan leaned his head in Kaito's shoulder. "No," he said softly, surprising everyone with his tone. "I'm blessed." He sighed softly, closing his eyes in bliss.

Ran smiled at them before her phone ran. She answered. "Hiya, Sonoko!" She chirped. A wide smile grew on her face as she listen to the teen on the other end. "It's temporary!" She squealed. "Hattori-kun got away with only a sprained ankle and wrist." Ran smiled.

"_Let's celebrate_!" Ran held the phone away from her ear as Sonoko cheered.

"Okay." Ran agreed. "Yeah, shopping sounds great." She smiled into the air. "I wanted to buy another one of Fusae Campbell's latest items." After a chuckle, Ran ended the call.

"I met Fusae-san." Conan commented off-handedly. "She was the Hakase's first crush when they were still in sixth grade." The detective chuckled at the memory. "The Shounen-Tantei-Dan, Haibara, and the Hakase had been following an old love note. Turns out that Fusae-san went to the trees behind the school every year, which makes the leaves become-"

"Her brand symbol!" Ran gasped. "I met her once too. When I was little and still in elementary school. Shinichi had been late from soccer practice, so I was waiting underneath the trees for him as it rained. Fusae Campbell had held an umbrella out to me, and I asked how I should thank her." Ran grinned. "She asked me to buy one of her bags when she was famous for making them..."

"Wow!" Kaito breathed. "I wanna meet a famous person!"

"You meet the most famous person on the planet every time you look in a mirror." Conan deadpanned.

"It's not the same!" Kaito pouted.

Ran laughed at the pair. "Well, I should be going now. Sonoko will be waiting for me, and it's a long drive." She waved at them both before leaving through the door.

Conan met Kaito's eyes. "What about you?" He asked, desperately searching the magician's face for a chance that he might be staying.

"My mom wants me home for lunch, but I'll be back soon. I'll bring that Wii, and we can hook it up to the flat screen!" He chirped, before nuzzling Conan's nose with his own. "Don't worry," he said softly. "I won't leave you alone in this hospital. I know you get uneasy."

Conan shivered. "Hospitals are the worst. I can feel _their _presences." He grasped Kaito's shirt tightly.

Kaito stared down at his favorite detective. "Who's presence?"

Tanazite (the newest jewel color, rumored to be an even deeper blue than sapphire) colored eyes full of fear stared up at the magician, but worry was hidden behind them. "The presence of the dead..." He whispered, clutching onto Kaito tighter, as though the mere mention of their title would bring them.

"You can sense their presences?" Kaito gasped at his detective.

"Yes.. But only vaguely. That's why I'm so sensitive to people's eyes on me. I feel like they're hiding in the shadows, laughing at me." Conan buried his face into Kaito's chest.

"That... Is a very unique trait. I'm sure that if you keep working on it, you could see them. And possibly help them move on?" Kaito suggested. "That seems like something you would do."

"I think it's better to see them than to feel their eyes on you at all times." Conan admitted.

"I'm sure you'll be fine while I'm gone. I'm sure I'll only be out for half and hour." Kaito grinned down at the detective. "Try not to miss me _too _much while I'm gone honey." He teased, cheering Conan up and dissolving the air that had gotten thick.

"As if!" Conan snorted, secretly relaxed that the thief would be back after only half an hour. That was enough to watch some mystery show on TV before it was obvious who the criminal was and he got bored again.

Kaito pecked his cheeks. "I'll be going now. Enjoy some television." He smiled down at his detective before leaving through the door.

Conan smiled at him. "Iterashai!" He called, knowing that this was his home for two months.

_**~With Kaito~ **_

The magician was hesitant to leave Shinichi like that. Especially after learning that he was one of the thirteen point five percent of people who could sense the presence of the dead. And one point two of the percent that could possibly learn to see them. Now he was beginning to believe what Conan had said about his cowlick (that was the most adorable thing) being an antenna. What if the murdered person's spirit was leading him straight to the crime scene?

Kaito shook his head. There was absolutely now way he would get involved with the paranormal. They weren't his thing! He'd seen _wayyyyy_ to many American horror movies in his early teen years, scarring him for life. His thoughts circulated around the miniature detective as he traveled home, and they only paused when he was subconsciously walking up the steps to his front door.

"Tadaima, Kaa-san!" He called cheerfully as the white door swung open.

"Kaito! Okaeri! How was the trip to the hospital?" Chikage welcomed her son home from the small kitchen.

"It's a miracle Kaa-san!" Kaito cheered. "Conan woke up today!" He embraced his mother in sheer happiness.

"Eh? But I thought the explosion happened last night?" Chikage pushed her son away, waving her hands in front of him. They were covered in flour, and she had the good graces to warn him about it first.

"Right! That's why it's a miracle! I'm it's guessing because the kid never stays unconscious for too long." Kaito chuckled. "And guess what? Once the doctor realized that he was fine, she did some tests on his paralysis, and it's temporary!" Kaito did a back flipped and poof-ed pink smoke around himself like sport day fireworks. All while grinning maniacally in the midst of it.

His mother clapped her hands excitedly and let out a shriek of joy. "Thank Kami above!" She embraced her son again before pulling away and making a blank face. "N'de? Who's Conan?" She asked stupidly.

Kaito pouted. "My number one detective at KID heists, Tantei-kun, of course!" He made a face at his mother. "You celebrated with me even though you didn't know who he was?"

Chikage smirked at her son. "No." She shook her head slowly. "I was hoping you'd tell me that he was Shin-chan." She giggled at him.

Kaito gaped like a fis- an idiot at her, eyes boggling. "Wha- How-" Incoherent sentences tumbled from his lips.

Chikage resisted the urge to slap her son upside the head for his stupidity. "It was obvious just from the way you talked about him, Kaito. You only ever speak like that while having a dreamy face when you're talking about Shin-chan." His mother pointed out. "And you said he was your 'number one detective.' If so, wouldn't _he _have the title of 'Meitantei?'" The former Phantom Lady put he hands on her hips, making sure to wipe them on her apron first.

"O-okay..." Kaito dumbly agreed in a quiet voice.

After a brief silence, Chikage smiled pleasantly again. "So how long will he be in the hospital?" She asked, going back to work in the kitchen.

"Two months!" Kaito called as he rummaged through a box to find his Wii. "So I'm smuggling my Wii into the hospital so he can enjoy himself for a while."

"Has he told you how he turned I'm Conan?" She asked, smiling at her son's thoughtfulness.

Kaito stopped rummaging and looked I to the air with a thoughtful face. "Actually, I forgot to ask!" He laughed, remembering the night that Conan had told him he was Shinichi.

_***flashback***_

Kaito gave him (Conan) a weird look. "Anyway, I'll punish you another time for lying to me. For now... We should celebrate! Let's throw a party tomorrow!" He squealed, then whispered into the detective's ear. "You owe me a huge load of explanations, apologies, and favors for me possibly forgiving you."

"Whatever!" Conan hugged him before flipping over so that Kaito was hugging him from behind. "Goodnight. And congratulations on solving your first mystery."

Kaito sighed contently and nipped the ear of his detective in happiness. "We will continue another time." Conan shivered with pleasure. "Especially now that I don't have to restrain myself." He whispered huskily.

"Ditto." Conan quipped sleepily.

_***end of flashback***_

It crossed his mind that he had never _continued things _even though he told Conan they would many times. Kaito smirked a his own train of thought. Oh, once Shinichi was better and in his own body, Kaito would _fuck _him senseless as punishment. Until he was satisfied with it all.

"Kaito, honey, stop thinking about your sexual desires. Your manhood is standing proudly against your pants." Chikage smirked at her son as she passed through the living room to get to her bedroom.

"Ah, damn." Kaito swore, a mad blush crossing over his face. "I'm _so_ sorry you had to witness that." But his mother was already gone.

Kaito had been spacing out for so long that lunch was already on the table. The magician smiled at his moher's antics before actually diving in and eating the food. There was watermelon slices, bread, and cow cheese. It was a European food that originated from places around Italy and Yugoslavia, so it was very sweet, but had a little sour kick. Kaito smiled to himself before finishing up and packing up the Wii.

_**(Yes, it's real food! I eat it all the time. The cheese balances out the watermelon's sweetness for great taste.) **_

In no time at all, Kaito was jogging through the hospital doors, smiling as he realized that no one would be able to tell where he was keeping the Wii, four remotes, and two games discs. And if they did, they were too surprised to say anything, since the thief would already be gone. Kaito removed the luggage from its hiding place before walking into Conan's hospital room.

"Hiya!" Kaito cheered before walking into the room. To his utter surprise, it was filled with the Hakase, Haibara, and the rest of the Shounen-Tantei. Kaito immediately remembered them from the time he'd been trapped on that island.

"Shinichi-niisan?" The three asked in sync, staring innocently up into Kaito's face.

The magician laughed. "Nope. I'm Kaito, magician extraordinaire!" He did his signature stage bow before popping a red rose out of his fist and handing it to the girl. "What a pretty Ojou-san."

Immediately, Conan, Mitsuhiko, and Genta all pouted. Obviously all jealous, but Conan was for a different reason than the rest. Kaito grinned at the boys before offering them white roses and dispersing the jealous vibe. But Conan hadn't exactly relented yet.

"You guys, why don't you introduce yourselves to Kaito-niisan here." Haibara instructed.

The children gasped as they realized that they had been rude. "Oh no need!" Kaito said dramatically. "I am a mind reader. I can read your names from the subconscious of your mind.~" he sang, wiggling his fingers in front of them in an attempt to seem spooky.

"That's scientifically impossible." The freckled one said immediately.

Kaito let out one of his maniac grins. "_Nothing _is impossible for Kuroba Kaito." He grinned. "Right, Ayumi-chan?" He addressed the girl, and winked at her.

She gasped. "He read my name out of my mind!" She yelled, grasping her head. "He's gonna read even more stuff!" She ran around in circles.

"Oh, I would never invade anyone's privacy!" Kaito defended. Conan immediately snorted at this. "Hey!" He scolded. "Don't be mean to your elder brother!"

The children all blinked at this. "_EHHHHHH?!" _

Conan sweat dropped. "This is my step brother. After moving away for a while, he went back home to see that I wasn't there. So he found me here." The detective gave them a run down on the back story.

"Ohhhhhhh." They chorused.

"So, let me continue. You're Genta-kun." Kaito pointed to the fatter kid with the bald spot.

Then Kaito screwed up his face in concentration, a finger on his temple as he faced Mitsuhiko. "Told ya." He snorted under his breath.

"Such strong mind defenses! No wonder he is a man of science!" Kaito gasped falsely. "But I am the best of my kind! Your name is..." After a pregnant pause, his face lit up. "Mitsuhiko-kun!"

Haibara, the Hakase, and the children clapped in excitement. Conan only smirked at them all, and Kaito noticed the gaze. That same gaze that made him strive for the miniature detective in the first place. It pinned him down, analyzed his soul, and then sparkled cruelly when I was all over. Kaito cleared his throat, swearing that if a heart monitor was connected to him, it'd go haywire.

"Anyway, I bought something. Originally it was to keep Conan busy for the next two months, but you guys might like it too!" Kaito showed the children the Wii in the plastic bag he carried.

"Oh my-!" Ayumi stopped. "What is it?" She asked dumbly.

Kaito wanted to fall over anime-style. "You mean you got excited even though you didn't know what it was?"

Ayumi grinned. "I'm kidding! It's a Wii!" She squealed. "Kaito-niichan, hurry up and plug it in!" She urged the elder man by pushing him towards the flat screen TV.

_**Conan's POV**_

The magician only laughed at the child's sense of humor before obeying his orders. In no time at all, the Wii was hooked up and ready to go. Kaito smirked as he pulled a disc out of its paper cover, and the children shrieked.

"It's New Super Mario Bros.!" They gasped, and I could only stare at them with pure confusion.

Kaito grinned maniacally before pushing it into the disc slot in the Wii and starting the game up. Immediately, music notes rang out clearly as the Mario character bounced on top of a... Was that a mushroom person? In accented English, what was supposedly Mario's voice said, "New Super Mario Brothers! Wi~iiiii!"

I immediately sweat dropped as Kaito excitedly pressed start. Then four characters ran across the screen as _more _perky music played. The bottom of the screen read, "Press 2" while flashing. Immediately, Kaito set up a file for the children to use whenever they came over, and began to show them the ropes.

Haibara smiled at the kids before a before-story popped on the screen. Happy music played as the screen showed, "It's Princess Peach's birthday!" In pink print. The Princess was chatting with more mushroom people and the most famous brothers as a large cake suddenly moved into the room.

"Well, that can't be good." Haibara frowned at the different decorations popping out of the frosting on the cake. Suddenly, a bunch of turtles with spikes on their shells popped out of the cake, jumped down, and threw the cake over Princess Peach.

"You have _got to _fucking be kidding." I face palmed roughly as the Princess appeared to be stuck in the cake, and the evil little turtles hauled it away. All directed by a smaller turtle with a face mask on his mouth, showing spiked teeth.

Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko seemed to be mesmerized by the game's story plot. At the moment, a giant fucking _ship _flying in the fucking _sky _was flying away from Peach Castle. Mario, Luigi, and two yellow and blue mushroom people ran after them.

"Hey, come back!" Came Mario's accented English.

"Ba da da!" A mushroom person said in the castle, yelling to another who looked _exactly _alike. They stuffed two presents in a canon and fired away.

"Wow!" Ayumi breathed. "We have to save Princess Peach!" She suddenly cheered.

"Oh no!" I cried out sarcastically. "A bunch of _evil _little turtles with spikes on their shells kidnapped the Princess on a _flying _ship! The only thing Mario has to help him get back his beloved Princess are little mushroom people who sometimes look _exactly _alike! It's the apocalypse!" I told everyone a deadpanned stare, making sure they caught the sarcasm dripping from my voice.

Kaito's only comment was, "They're not 'mushroom people!'" He made quotation marks with his fingers. "They're toads!" He corrected cheerfully. "Now let us march on warriors of Princess Peach! We must defeat eight worlds!"

The kids shared a spirit yell as Kaito, who had chosen to be Mario, began the course. Cheerful music started immediately, and an extremely expired... Mushroom? With fangs, waddled towards the characters.

I watched in amusement as the kids immediately panicked, but Kaito simply jumped on it like it was a bug. "Fear not, my little warriors!" He called. "This is the game makers' first test! There shall be even more difficult enemies ahead, but we shall continue our quest! For Princess Peach!" He pumped a fist into the air before bumping a box marked with a question mark with his head. Suddenly, four red colored mushrooms popped out. "Catch the Biggies!" He called.

He ran into one, and immediately his size grew. "Power-ups?" Haibara quirked an eyebrow before smirking at me. "Wouldn't you _love _to have a biggy too?"

I simply nodded at her before turning my attention back to the game. I certainly wasn't about to start a banter with her at the moment. I watched in amusement as the children continued playing and finally reached the goal.

They jumped up and hugged each other. "We did it!" They cheered.

I smiled at their enthusiasm. Kaito obviously didn't feel like playing anymore, but I smirked in his direction. "It looks like Kaito-niichan wants to keep playing until you have to leave guys." I pointed out innocently, smirking deviously at him.

Kaito narrowed his eyes at me in a way that said, 'So that's how you wanna play it?' I grinned cheekily at him until he cleared his throat and bent down to speak with the children. "I would absolutely _love _to," Lie. "But I'm sure Conan-kun here wouldn't want to be left out would he?"

Ah, the magician didn't think that I _had_ been expecting that to come. "I'm sorry guys. I want to play too, but I have a slight headache from the tests I did earlier." I smiled weakly at them, before turning to Haibara with an evil smirk. "I guess you're the only one left!" I chirped.

The Shounen-Tantei-Dan crowded around her, kicked puppy dog faces all around. Haibara sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll play."

Kaito and Shinichi grinned at each other, the latter practically glowing at what he'd done. Kaito then crawled into the bed next to Conan and turned towards him, his head resting on his elbow before he closed his eyes. The thief gave the child a weary, tired, smile before closing his eyes once more and falling asleep.

Haibara caught Conan's tired look and paused the game. "Hey everyone, why don't we have the Hakase take us to a super cheap sushi bar for lunch?" She smirked deviously at Conan. "I think Edogawa-kun would like to sleep with Kaito-niichan."

Conan went bright pink, and the Hakase made a stupid, "Huh?" Then the dots connected. "I have to pay for the lunch?!" He immediately checked his wallet, and tears gathered in his eyes.

One by one, the children filed out of the room, but Haibara remained. For a long moment, she and Conan merely stared at each other. Their eyes seemed to he searching for something in each other before Haibara smirked playfully.

"What?" Conan pouted.

"That's so cute, Thief-san." She deadpanned. "Make sure you're quiet." The strawberry blonde flashed a smirk that could've fined from the devil before leaving.

"What?" Conan asked again dumbly.

Kaito stirred before cracking open his eyes and looking up at Conan from his comfortable place on his chest. "Should I be concerned about what she said?"

"I wouldn't." He grumbled. "Satan's spawn!" Conan yelled after her.

Kaito stared at him for a moment. "You know, I don't think she'd be offended by that..."

"Shhh... Don't ruin the moment Kai-chan." Conan hushed, before basking in the glory of his new nickname for her.

When Shinichi finally got over himself, he looked down to Kaito. The magician was using his chest as a pillow and was dozing off. The detective rolled his eyes before reaching out to stroke the thief's hair. He hadn't realized that it was naturally spiky. That it wasn't greasy or crumbling from excessive gel use. Conan's fingers suddenly trailed further down. Tracing the bridge of Kaito's nose, or even his eyebrows. In a few moments, his sharp jawline was being ghosted by Conan's thumb.

Shinichi thought he was acting like a blind person trying to memorize someone's facial features. And then possibly trying to draw it later. In the midst of his thoughts, Conan didn't notice that he had taken his middle and ring fingers to Kaito's lips. The magician was now staring up at him in wonder.

"What are you thinking about?" Kaito asked softly, startling Conan out of his thoughts. "'Cause it tickles..." He pointed out awkwardly, staring at Conan's wandering fingers.

Conan went scarlet red and quickly drew back his hand. "Sorry... I had been petting your hair first-"

"I know." Kaito interjected with a smirk.

"But my fingers-" The penny suddenly dropped. "Wait what? Then why didn't you tell me to stop?" Conan stared down at the magician with a blush all over his face, and his bangs casting playful shadows over his eyes.

"It felt nice. Like I was a cat." Kaito relaxed into Conan's chest once more. "I almost started purring..." He admitted without reluctance.

Conan only blushed harder. "Sorry... I was thinking about what else will happen..." He said quietly.

"You mean the future?" Kaito simplified for him.

"Yeah..." Conan nodded slowly. "Why were we attacked? Just how much does the organization know?" He looked down at Kaito, agonizing worry reflecting in his eyes. "Kai-chan... What if they know that I'm actually the shrunken form of Kudou Shinichi?" His voice cracked.

Kaito lifted his head from Conan's warm chest in a sudden movement. His head snapped to the door, eyes zeroing in on it like a target. "Someone just heard you!" He hissed, getting up and running out of the door to chase the culprit.

The young detective gasped. He had been heard?! By who?! A Black Org. member? A few moments later, Kaito came back, ushering the Shounen Tantei in front of him, a dejected look on his face.

Conan's stomach dropped in dread. His eyes widened, and the heart monitor went haywire. "Y-You guys...?" He gasped, feeling as though the air was knocked out of his lungs.

_**(Does anyone actually own the game? I do, and that's why I had so many details!)**_

**Bwahahahaha! I told you something has always happened with the thirteenth number! **

**I'm so sorry that my update is so late. I've been having a case of writer's block for this story lately... That, and I was reading some lemony KaiShin. Please accept my sincerest apologies. **

**Next chapter will be fairly fast paced. In order to move on from hospitals... I don't like them. They give me weird vibes... Especially since I like watching Ghost Whisperer. XD**

**News: To celebrate three years of work on Fanfiction, I will post my biggest, KaiShin project of all time. I've only got the first chapter done, and I don't plan to post until I've finished all of my fics, but here's the summery: **

**Years after taking down the Black Org, our friends get involved with a strange company. Join Kaito, Shinichi, Ran, Eisuke, Sera, Aoko, and Hakuba in their adventure of love, heartbreak, and new love again. Eventual KaiShin. Expect Yaoi lemons! **

**I'm not sure of the title, but I'm thinking maybe.. 'Treasure?' **

**Thanks for your time!**

**~Crescent T.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Hello! Sorry I'm a bit late, but here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Uh... no.**

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

Kaito stood behind the Shounen Tantei pushing them forward and into the room. The children hadn't said a single word, but only showed faces of utter disappointment. Ayumi was the first to approach Conan, her head down. She absolutely refused to meet his eyes.

Shinichi gently took the bag from her, fingers careful not to touch the other's. His face was blank, but those cerulean eyes were hard and cold towards his friends. Ayumi backed away as quickly as she came before turning to her friends.

"Let's go." She croaked, pushing passed them all and heading out of the door.

Conan only said one word to them as they left. "Someday."_ Someday, I'll tell you the truth. I'll make it up to you all._

Three pairs of feet shuffled away, tear streaked faces now hidden from both of the adults in the room. Kaito let them go, knowing that it was not his place to stop them. That this was one thing he couldn't get involved in.

Bangs hiding their faces, the children turned to Conan outside of the door, and bowed respectfully. The mask that Shinichi relied on slipped for a moment to show his utter shock and sadness, and the children spotted it for a moment before the poker face was on once more.

Conan sat up completely and made a head bow to them as they disappeared.

Silence enveloped the room in it's arms for a long time. The only sounds were the heart monitor and ticking of the clock. Conan was still for a long while, mask held on, and eyes distant.

Finally, the silence was broken. "I knew this would happen... but that doesn't mean that the pain is dulled." Conan's clouded eyes locked with Kaito's.

"They told me that Ayumi thought that it was unfair that you couldn't eat with them, so they wanted to bring lunch here." Kaito said quietly, leaning against the wall across the room.

Conan let out a bitter laugh. "Sounds like something they would do." His laughter died and the room was silent once more.

"You know, when I last met them on that island, they were very immature." Kaito tried to smile. "But the way that they reacted just now to your identity shows me that they knew something was up, and are a lot more mature than anyone thinks. You are to thank for that." Kaito didn't smile anymore. He was being serious and grieving along with Conan. "But since they knew something was up, I think that when you try to tell them the truth, they'll accept it. It's up to you now. They've left this in your capable hands Shinichi." Conan's eyes locked with Kaito's in surprise. "They'll wait for you. They same way Ran-chan did."

Conan let a small smile balance on his lips. "I guess you're right." _This is for the best. If I die taking down the Black Organization, then those guys won't become involved._ "It's funny. I've been alive for seventeen years, but those three are the only real friends I've ever had right behind Ran."

Kaito smiled. "Then this is fate." He said quietly.

Conan looked out of the window, where the children could be seen walking out of the hospital gates. "Fate, huh?" He whispered.

* * *

**Two Months Later**

* * *

Conan wheeled his chair into the Kudou Mansion for the first time since the bombing. He took a deep breath before bellowing. "TADAIMA!" A large grin stretched over his face.

His call echoed throughout the house for a long time before a foreign noise echoed back. "OKAERI!" Other voices chimed in together, shocking Conan out of his skin.

"Kaito, there are people in my house! I live alone!" He pointed out, looking up at the magician who was pushing his wheelchair.

Kaito merely grinned at him. "You're parents, Ran-chan, the Hakase, Ai-neechan, and Heiji-kun." He explained, pushing the crippled boy into the living room area.

"Co-chan!" Yukiko squealed, tackling the small boy and enveloping him into a bear hug.

"HEY!" Kaito pouted. "I came up with that!"

"And I came up with 'Shin-chan', but you still use it." The girl countered.

"Touché, Yuki-nee." Kaito eyed her while crossing his arms over his chest.

"MPFHHH!" Conan yelled, finally going blue in the face and going limp.

Both Kaito's and Yukiko's eyes widened in shock. "How did we not notice him suffocating?!" Kaito demanded as the mother let her son go.

"Co-chan?" Yukiko asked weakly, shaking her son gently.

Conan shot up in his chair, shocking everyone in the room shit less as he took in a large gasp of air. "I thought I was gonna die!" He put a hand over his heart in an attempt to relieve it. "MOM! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"'Mom?'" Ran tilted her head in confusion.

"I call her mom sometimes." Conan quickly covered up. "Same way as she calls me Shin-chan sometimes."

"Oh." Ran happily accepted, coming forward and embracing Conan her self. "It's nice to have you back Conan-kun."

The young boy merely rolled his eyes at her. "You could've visited more often at the hospital."

Ran pursed her lips in a pout. "I thought you might want some more time with your knight in shining armor." She teased, crossing her arms over her chest.

Conan scowled. "I've lost my humanity because of it. He's _insane_."

Kaito, who had been standing by spoke up. "And what exactly made you think I was ever _sane_?" He made a face saying, 'are you an idiot?'

Conan, having no comeback, turned to Hakase and Haibara. "You, my dear friend, did not visit me after that lunch." He pointed a finger at the larger scientist of the two accusingly. "Were you afraid that I was going to make you pay for lunch again? Hmmm?" He eyed the professor.

The Hakase merely laughed nervously at the child's antics, leaving Conan to discuss with Ai. His face was a little more serious. "So how are the kids?" He asked, watching her ever bored face for any hint of emotion.

"They rarely come by. After all, this house is right next door. It brings sad memories to their minds." She answered, her voice in a monotone. "I only see them at school, but I do know one thing." Her teal color eyes locked with Conan's own.

"What?" He asked quietly, the entire room's focus on them still.

"They're waiting for you. As proof, they always bought your homework over here and asked me to pass it on." The small scientist answered seriously, a small smile on her face anyway.

"Ai-neechan, you need to show some more emotion about things like this!" Kaito threw his hands into the air, fed up with the serious atmosphere.

Both Ai and Conan rolled their eyes. "Says the master of poker faces." They countered in sync.

Kaito blinked at them innocently. "'Ai-neechan?'" Hattori spoke up for the first time, eyeing the thief before him amusedly.

Kaito turned to him. "Well duh." He slumped his shoulders at the Osakan. "She's smarter than me, so I call her 'Ai-neechan.' Cute isn't it?" He grinned, approving his own antics.

"But Kaito-kun, you're smarter than I am." Ran pointed out before turning to Ai. "Ai-n-n-neechan..." She stuttered out, trying the name out on her tongue. "You know what? Just 'Ai-nee' will be fine..." Haibara went wide-eyed at the teenager before her.

"'Ai-nee...'" She quoted to herself, blushing a bit at the nickname.

The people gathered laughed at the two and Ran joined in with the laughter. Haibara didn't bother suppressing her smile.

"I'm stickin' with 'Sciency-neechan' er 'Biochemist-neechan' thank ya very much." Hattori stuck his nose in the air.

"'Biochemist?'" Ran questioned again, not understanding any of the nicknames being thrown around.

"I come from a family of biochemists. I plan to carry on that line." Ai answered smoothly.

"Wow! How noble of you!" Ran praised, patting the girl on the head.

After a moment of catching up with each other, Conan spoke again. "Okay, so, what are you all doing here anyway? Aren't we supposed to throw a party after I start walking again?" He cocked an eyebrow at everyone amusedly.

"We thought you could have a mini welcome home celebration! Nothing big really, just some food and entertainment." Yukiko answered, smiling at her son.

"I came too because I was hoping to see you, and I could use the chance to get away from my editors." Yuusaku winked at his son, smiling playfully.

Conan rolled his eyes at his father. "Wait, did you say entertainment?" He asked.

"Yup!" Kaito chirped, but he was no where to be found. In a puff of smoke, the magician appeared in the middle of the room dressed in a wonderful looking suit.

Conan went silent in the middle of his dispute with Hattori when he saw him. As well as his father and mother. "Kai... isn't that...?"

Kaito smiled sadly, but struck a pose. "I can finally fit into it." He gestured to his suit.

Conan went silent, staying solemn. "Whatt'r ya talkin' 'bout Conan?" Hattori demanded. "I don' get it."

The magician before them grinned at the Osakan. "This, Heiji-kun, was my father's."

The Osakan rolled his eyes. "'re all of yer suits hand-meh-downs from yer ol' man?" he joked.

Kaito snapped his head up, eyes wide with shock. "Oh my god..." Conan gasped, wondering how is friend could offend Kaito so.

"Oh my god is right!" Kaito agreed. "He's totally right! I mean, I don't own any other suits besides this one and my white one..." The magician pretended to faint, but just as his head was about to connect with the floor, a cloud of smoke enveloped him, and the idiot was gone.

"Hattori!" Conan hissed. "Look at what you've done now!"

"Hey, Kuroba! It was a joke man!" He called out, hoping to find the magician.

"I know." The idiot answered, popping up behind the Osakan.

Needless to say, the bronze detective was scared shit less, falling down to the floor is fright. This time, Kaito was wearing the same suit, with a few adjustments. Now it was a tailcoat. Along with a top hat, and white swirls of embroidery along the pant legs. They also hugged his slim frame, and he wore beige boots. His blouse became beige too, and there was a beige ribbon around the top hat. To top the look off, he wore a few roses of the top hat and a black bow tie.

"And now it's my own!" Kaito grinned happily at his audience. They erupted into a round of applause.

"You made all of those adjustments in like, two minutes?" Ran asked, her eyes shining with doubt.

"I did! My mom taught me." He smirked at her, daring the girl to doubt him more. "And I happen to like tailcoats, so I was going to change it eventually. Dad would want it this way too!"

Yuusaku hummed his approval at the young magician's choice. "It looks good. Especially since it has a younger feel. It's refreshing to see a magician in a different type of suit."

"I was never the type to go with the ordinary." Kaito grinned.

On that note, the entertainment began. The purple butterflies that burned away. The phosphorescent birds that flew around while glowing. Doves in the hat and jacket. Tricks up the sleeves.

Conan watched everyone as they enjoyed themselves. The women and Hakase were in complete awe, and Hattori finally gave up on deducing the tricks. Yuusaku seemed to be sitting back and eyeing the teen's style amusedly. A gentle smile made it's way onto Conan's lips before he closed his eyes, merely listening to the sounds around him.

Later, Conan felt strong hands pick him up bridal style while he drifted on the streams of unconsciousness. After a little while, the child was placed in between cool sheets and a blanket was put over him.

"I guess we exhausted him..." A hushed male's voice whispered.

"He fell asleep in the middle of your magic show... doesn't that mean that he found it boring?" A female's voice quietly teased.

"That's not true." Another man scolded. "He was smiling. Even in his sleeping state." He sounded much older.

"Goodnight, Co-chan." The woman ignored that man and kissed the child's forehead.

"Pleasant darkness." The younger male joked, as the other two left the room. A gentle kiss was placed over Co-chan's lips before the younger male disappeared too.

_"Oyasumi. Co-chan."_

**Heh. It was a more free chapter huh? Not just in events, but in my writing style too. But I got what I wanted to across. :D Please review guys!**

**CREDIT: Kyunyo, for Kaito's costume. Link: kyunyo . deviantart art / 51012 - Day - 301373955 Awesome job Kyun!**

**~Crescent T.**


	15. Chapter 15

**LFPF.15**

**Hey! I finished a story today! So now I feel like plowing forward with this one! XD Please enjoy everyone!**

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this after fifteen chapters?**

**WARNING: Lots of line breaks... -_-"**

* * *

**One week after the party**

**Normal POV**

* * *

"Kaito..." Conan groaned. "Wake up god dammit. I have to go to the bathroom." He glared at the magician sleeping next to him and shook his shoulder gently. However, the thief only tightened his grip around the mini-detective's waist and snuggled deeper into the crook of his neck. Shinichi's eyes widened as the magician's breath tickled his sensitive skin. There was a whimper and purring as it continued. "K-Kaito!" He breathlessly called.

The said magician smirked against the child's skin. "Tantei-kun, is that you having naughty thoughts?" A calloused hand traveled down the child's spine, fingers merely ghosting over the skin.

Conan released a shudder of pleasure. "Kaito dammit! I need to go to the bathroom! Get your head out of the gutter." Shinichi rolled his eyes at the thief's antics.

"Says the one with a.. *ahem*..." The magician teased, gesturing to the detective's south pole.

Conan scowled at Kaito with a large, scarlet, blush covering his face. "Keep getting me like this and I swear I'll turn to masturbation." Conan threatened, glowering at his partner.

"Hey, a little self-love never killed anyone. It's the safest and most pleasurable way to have sex, while never losing your virginity." Kaito smirked at the mini-detective.

"Then maybe I will. After all, you think I'll get hurt when I'm like this." Conan gestured to his legs that remained unmoving.

Kaito pouted. "It's for your own good. If you wanna lose it to me so bad, then you could learn to walk again. Anyway, today is the day the doctor authorized the beginning of your rehabilitation." The magician winked.

Conan gripped Kaito's shirt. "Take me to the bathroom you bastard." He glowered.

Kaito snickered. "But you love me anyway."

"Did I ever say that?" Conan said with mock shock.

"Nope." Katio swiftly picked the child up bridal style and raced off towards the bathroom, not allowing Conan to see his face.

It was then that Conan realized that he really never had said it. "Then I'll say it now." The detective announced as Kaito sat him on the toilet. "I love you Kaito Kuroba." Eyes filled with determination attempted to penetrate the magician's mask.

Kaito laughed. "Thanks, but I'd rather not hear that when you're sitting on the toilet..." He said awkwardly, scratching his cheek with an index finger.

Conan rolled his eyes. "Get the hell out so I can do my business."

"What do you have to hide?" The magician snickered as he exited to bathroom, just in time to evade a slipper thrown at his head.

It had been really awkward the first time they went through this procedure... Both parties had been beet red in the face and had stuttered through all of their sentences. Kaito hadn't realized that the child was capable of at least pulling his pants down as he sat on the toilet, causing the magician to uncomfortably await the order to. Imagine his relief and surprise when the child granted him the permission to leave.

A flush of the toilet was heard before the door was knocked on. "I'm done. Help me to the sink so I can wash my hands." Conan's voice commanded dully.

Kaito immediately opened the door and picked the crippled boy up by the waist and held him by the sink. Conan quickly washed his hands and Katio whisked him into his arms again before racing down the stairs, cheering like a madman.

"What the hell?!" Conan demanded when they reached the kitchen.

"It was fun, Co-chan. That's all you need right?" Kaito grinned down at the younger boy in his arms.

Conan rolled his eyes as the magician gently righted him in a chair. So gently, he felt like a, dare he say it, p-princess being handled by her prince. Or like a glass ornament... Yes, he'd go with that analogy. Sapphire eyes watched carefully as the magician he lived with danced around the kitchen, cooking their breakfast. Hands moved with percision, yet elegantly, as though he was simply going through the motions of another magic trick. The young boy smiled at that. It was peaceful. This was something he wanted. He and Kaito were going through hardships together, and helping each other up when they fell down.

It was calm... and Conan reveled in it as much as he could. However, his story was still continuing. No. Their story was still moving on. And Conan knew that things wouldn't stay calm for very long with the Black Organization watching them from the shadows.

A sudden realization hit the young detective like a lightening bolt. Fear flooded his system and his thoughts whirled. "Kaito..." He choked out in a whisper.

Immediately, the magician stopped what he was doing. The stove already turned off as to not let the eggs burn. Then Kaito must've been watching him too. "What is it Co-chan?" His said with guarded cheerfulness.

"Kaito... I am more than certain that the people who attacked Hattori, Kazuha-chan, and I was the Black Organization." Cerulean eyes locked with the violet ones across from him.

"Okay..." Kaito nodded, his eyebrows crinkled in thought. "I'm following you..."

Conan rolled his eyes at his magician's seriousness. "But because of the media, they've held off from finishing their job right?" Conan raised his eyebrows at the thief before him.

"Yeah. 'Cause attacking you again while the world has their eyes on you would be too suspicious." Kaito shrugged. "So what's your point?"

The faux child's mask slipped, showing all of his fear to the world for once. Kaito was taken aback, needless to say. "And since that ambassador is visiting our country, all eyes are off of us." He said quietly.

"OH SHIT!" Kaito let his head fall onto the counter with a sickening 'thwack!' Conan winced. "This was their plan wasn't it?! A false sense of security when they're actually closing in on us?!" Kaito growled.

"Exactly. Soon... very soon, they will be on our door step." Conan swallowed thickly, eyes seeming to scan the surrounding area. Almost as though they were watching. "They could be watching and listening to us right now..."

Kaito froze. "Oi, oi. Isn't that a bit paranoid? You think I would let them get in the house?" The magician reassured the child nervously. No, he was reassuring himself.

"We have to warn everyone. And I mean everyone." The child's gaze sent shivers down the magician's spine. He knew that when Conan wore that gaze, he was no longer the Tantei-kun that sometimes found himself in dangerous situations, but the Meitantei-san with the dark and bloody history trailing behind him.

"I'll go get your phone." Kaito said quietly, standing up and leaving Shinichi to think on his own.

This was bad. Very bad. To believe that the Black Organization would do something so out of character, yet so in character. Just how many steps behind was Shinichi this time?! It had been different when he went against them head on, because he had his mind's work at it's peak. Now, he was niether prepared physically or mentally. This was the worst possible outcome for him, but the best for the B.O..

Shinichi laced his fingers together and rested his chin on top, eyes narrowing at nothing in front of him. He could feel in his very bones that someone will have to be sacrificed in this battle. If worst came to worst, it'd be someone close to him. Like Hattori or Kaito...

Kaito... that was the last person he wanted to be hurt. Especially if this 'Snake' man had nothing to do with the Black Organization. The magician himself suddenly dropped his cell phone into his lap, snapping the faux child out of his thoughts.

"Ah, sorry. I bet you said something..." Shinichi blinked up at the silent thief. He was wearing a frown. "Oh no... Not the frown Kaito! Don't frown like that!"

"I didn't say anything Conan. Go ahead and do your phone calls. In the meanwhile, can I go out and buy things from lunch and dinner?" The magician asked, forcing a smile.

"Kai, I realize you're giving me room. But since we really do need those things, fine." The little detective bit his lip, uncomfortable with what he was about to say. Kaito was already walking away. "I've always thought by myself Kai... it'd be nice to have some company once in a while..." He said quietly, a tired smile stretching over his face.

The magician's eyes widened in surprise before he whirled around on his heel to face his partner. A soft smile danced over his features, making Shinichi stare in awe at its beauty. "Okay..." Then the magician was gone.

The faux child smiled at his retreating form, allowing himself to indulge in the smile shown by his white winged partner. With renewed confidence, Shinichi dialed a number.

* * *

Kaito dropped his bags onto the kitchen counter quietly. He had called out once inside the house, but there was no answer. With fear making his heartbeat irregular, he prowled through the house in search of any abnormalities. He finally arrived to the kitchen to find Conan fast asleep on the table. A breath of relief escaped his lips before a warm blanket was placed over the faux child's shoulders.

It had been a frightening experience. The magician had almost believed that the job had already been done, and Conan was gone. In thought, he quickly and quietly put away the stuff bought at the convenience store. There would be Shinichi's favorite for dinner tonight; curry.

Once his job was completed, Kaito took a break next to the detective and watched his sleeping face. 'He's wiped out.. I wonder if he finished all of his phone calls...' The magician's brow creased at the thought before the phone was picked up.

He dialed the only number not called.

After three rings, it was answered. "Yo Kudou! Whassup?" The Osakan detective cheered on the other line.

"No, actually, this is Kaito!" The thief chirped happily.

"Kuroba? What da hell 're ya doin' on Kudou's phone ya moron?"

A vein popped on Kaito's forehead. "Hey! I'm not a moron! Moron..."

"Says da one dat couldn't come up wit' somethin' other dan 'moron.'"

Kaito pouted. "Why are you being so mean today?" He whined, screwing his face up into half scowl and half pout.

"Sorry sorry, I jus' was really hopin' dat Kudou was callin' fer another case."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "He is, but he fell asleep before he could."

"Really?! Whatssup? What's da case 'bout?"

Kaito then proceeded to explain Conan's concerns, and then about the phone calls. Feeling that he could continue speaking, he told the Osakan his own thoughts, and his predictions of the faux child's thoughts.

"Well, I'll try ta find a chance ta get over dere so dat we never leave Kudou alone. Whether it's 'bout ya havin' ta go shoppin' or having ta go ta da bathroom, I will be by Kudou's side. How's dat sound?" The Osakan grinned on the other side of the line. "After all, I have ta stay in Tokyo fer Kazuha."

Kaito grinned. "It's perfect. But uh... just so we're clear, I know nothing about you coming over. Alright?"

"Yeah sure... Why?"

"He'll have my head served on a silver platter 'cause he's embarrassed at his weakness." Kaito snickered. "So Conan will probably call you again when he wakes up."

"'Kay. Thanks fer da heads up, Kuroba."

Kaito smiled. "No prob!"

And the call ended.

Kaito immediately went back into the kitchen, only to find that breakfast had never been completed, and gone cold. Kaito groaned.

Looks like they'd be having brunch.

* * *

Kaito hated breakfast/lunch was quickly finished up and Conan quickly turned to his phone, redialling Hattori. Kaito hid a tiny smile at the fact that, for once, the Osakan was lying beautifully. When the call finally ended, the said Osakan was staring at his phone, wide-eyed.

A small smile danced across the naturally tanned lips. 'Dey're serious. Dey're really serious 'bout bein' togethe'...' A grin spread over his face. 'After all, Kuroba was able ta perfectly guess 'n' map out Kudou's thoughts.' Hattori stuffed his phone into a pocket and stared up at the sky wonderingly, a goofy smile gracing his lips. 'Good fer ya Kudou. Good fer ya.'

* * *

**Conan POV**

It had been a pain. SO MUCH OF A PAIN to have to learn to walk again. Not only did I have to be nursed around the clock, but I had to put up with Hattori's teasing when I was walking. It went a little like this;

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

_I gripped the rests of my armchair until my knuckles turned white, my bottom lip being furiously chewed on. I used the chair as a support before steadily and weakly rising from its comfortable cushions. My brows crinkled in concentration as I focused on the feeling in my legs. It was as though I had taken a three day nap, and my legs had grown numb and heavy. Then when I placed pressure on them, sparks of the numbness would shoot up my legs, tickling the nerves in my brain to life. _

_I stood up, but wasn't able to move past a crouching position. Beads of sweat rolled down my cheeks and my breath came out labored. I feel like such a _baby _like this. Immediately, as the thought crossed my mind, I fell on my bottom. _

_"Shit..." I had groaned, and Hattori had to bite back laughter. I glared at him._

_Kaito immediately picked me up. "Try again." He urged. "But don't push yourself." _

_I nodded as my lips pursed in concentration. Immediately, I had Kaito seat me in the arm chair that had been pushed backwards during my fall. Once again, I went through the steps of getting up._

* * *

**End of First Flashback**

* * *

And that had been my first night trying my legs. Frustration built up over time, and whenever I was trying to walk alone, tears of it spilled over my unsuspecting eyelids.

It was just _so hard._

If it wasn't for Kaito who was with me through this whole process, I would've fallen into an endless pit of darkness.

* * *

**Flashback two**

* * *

_Faced contorted into the picture of concentration, I got off the edge of my bed, willing myself to at least make it to the other side of my room. I carefully stood up, still wobbling on my weak legs like a newborn chick. In only a few moments, I was up on my formerly useless limbs. That was the easy part. I was already used to at least standing on my own, but walking was difficult._

_Taking a shaky step forward, I spread my arms out to keep my balance. When the pressure was applied to my step, the familiar numbness shot up through it, and to my brain. Balancing on the foot in front, I slowly and shakily bought my left foot forward. I smiled, relieved that I hadn't fallen yet. I took a few more steps forward, to the middle of the room._

_Suddenly, the realization that I was alone hit. A voice in my mind whispered that Kaito's reliable arms weren't right behind me to catch me when I fell. A sense of heavy dread flooded my system, and its supposed weight dragged me to the floor. My legs crumpled under me and I painfully landed on my arm._

_"Arrgh!" I gasped, tears of pain and frustration obscuring my vision. I tried to blink them back, but more and more gathered. Soon enough, I was crying and attempting to righten my arm. I weakly pushed my upper body upwards and used my forearms to bring myself to the edge of my bed again, army-style._

_I grasped the edge of my bed and slowly pulled on them to climb up, but the blankets only fell forwards, knocking me to the ground once again._

_This time, I made no move to get up._

_I steadily slipped into the cold darkness in the depths of my mind, letting it embrace me and drag me deeper. Just when the darkness was about to swallow me whole, there was a light. A bright light, accompanied by words of warmth steadily whispered into my ear._

_Kaito._

_Kaito was embracing me, rocking back and forth as he gathered me into his arms, whispering his saving words._

_"It's okay."_

_"I'm here."_

"You're never alone."

* * *

**End of Flashback Two**

* * *

Yes. Kaito is my savior. With him by my side, I will stare down that darkness with him in my embrace. In that everlasting darkness, the only thing was the bright white, illustrious thief standing alone. A smirk always gracing his features.

And I would join him.

Because I was never alone.

* * *

**Alright! Just a few more details about his walking and the 'injury arc' (as I like to call it) is over! Next is the 'Change' arc. :D Please review!**

**~Crescent T.**

* * *

**Review replies:**

**Guest****: Oh shit! I forgot to reply to you last chapter! *headdesks* It was at the bottom of my messy email inbox... *facpalm* I'm gonna clean it out...**

**Anyway, thank you so much for your compliments! I'm so happy that you never lost interest even though it's so damn long. I mean, I started editing everything, and you know what? I just realized how long my chapters are getting. *shakes head* I must be NUTS. **

**I know! Poor Conan! But I promise everything will be fine. :D**

* * *

**kyoneko87****: oh Jesus Christ... I forgot to reply to you... *hides in shame* I'M SORRY! **

**Thank you for your wonderful compliments! They are very important to me, and I will keep what you've said in mind. ;D**


End file.
